


Ghostly

by treatpeoplewithnarry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Murder, Narry - Freeform, ghost au, magic? idk, not really - Freeform, one direction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 36
Words: 70,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29965929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treatpeoplewithnarry/pseuds/treatpeoplewithnarry
Summary: Zayn stood in the doorway, staring at his murdered best friend who was laying pale-faced and limp, in a pool of his own blood.***Niall finds himself as a ghost - sort of. He is a ghost during the day in a sense that no one can see him, but when the sun goes down he is once again human. Or as human as a dead guy can get. He is forever trapped in the apartment that he was murdered in. Niall needs to find a way to move on or get his life back, if either is still possible.
Relationships: Niall Horan/Harry Styles, Zayn Malik/Louis Tomlinson
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue: Till Death Do us Part

Niall couldn't grasp what happened to him. One minute he was on his way to the kitchen to grab some food that he could eat during the Derby game, and the next minute the door was being busted open. He crouched down behind the counter. His heart was beating faster and faster as the intruder's footsteps entered the flat more. Niall crawled around the corner of the island as the man entered the kitchen.

Niall wished he had his phone, but he had left it on the coffee table in the living room. Even if the poor boy did have his phone, he wouldn't have been able to notify the police without the intruder hearing him.

Niall hoped that Zayn wasn't on his way home from the grocery store. He wouldn't want his friend to be in the same situation that he was in. Niall also prayed that the neighbors heard what was going on and notified the police, but he wasn't so lucky.

Hearing the intruder enter the other room, Niall peeked out from his spot, only to meet the eyes of the man who had broken into his home.

Niall tried to make a run for it before the man could reach the kitchen. He knew that he wasn't going to make it out of here alive, but he desperately tried to escape that apartment.

A single shot rang out and the bullet had found a home in Niall's head. The force spun the boy around and he fell onto his back, dead before he even hit the ground. The intruder rushed out of the apartment, hiding the pistol in its holster under his coat.

***

Zayn had just opened the door to his apartment complex when he was shoved roughly to the side by a burly man who looked extremely worried about something. Instead of saying something to the man about being pushed, he let it go after mumbling a few choice words under his breath. He got a feeling that something was wrong as he took the elevator up to the fourth floor where he lived with his best friend, Niall.

He willed the elevator to go faster and he almost sprinted down the hall when the doors slid apart. When he saw the door of his apartment busted open, Zayn slowed to a stop. He didn't care that someone had broken in and could have taken all of his things, he only cared to see if Niall was okay.

"Ni?" Zayn asked, his voice low as he approached the room.

The sight before his eyes was horrendous. Zayn stood in the doorway with grocery bags still stacked in his arms, staring at his murdered best mate, pale-faced and limp, lying in a pool of his own blood. Niall's once clear blue eyes were now a cloudy gray, glazed over with death, and everything around Zayn seemed a shade darker. Zayn knew that he shouldn't just stand there - for the murderer could still be in the flat - but his feet were bolted to the floor.

Time seemed to move slower as Zayn finally came to life. He dropped the bags of groceries and stumbled over to the still blond. He crouched down and took out his phone, dialing the emergency number with numb fingers. Zayn reached out and placed two fingers against his friend's neck, willing there to be a pulse, but found none. Niall's body was still warm though, giving Zayn enough information to figure out that the murder happened only minutes ago. Zayn didn't care if the murder was still in the apartment, in fact, right now he would love for the robber to come back and blow him to smithereens as he did to his best friend.

After hanging up with the operator who had wanted him to stay on the phone to make sure that he was okay, realization finally caught up to Zayn. Someone had killed his best friend. The person who never upset anyone, who was the nicest guy in the world. The only person that Zayn could really trust with anything, and now he was gone. Niall's glassy eyes stared through him. How could this have happened to someone like Niall? Zayn had only been gone for thirty minutes to grab some groceries from the store!

Zayn backed away from his friend until his back hit the wall, but his eyes never left Niall's face. Zayn felt a slimy liquid on his shaking hands and looked down for only a second. Bile rose in his throat when he realized that it was blood – Niall's blood – coating his hands. The knees of Zayn's pants were also soaked in the red substance.

Zayn scrubbed his hands on his pants trying to rid himself of his friend's blood, but it failed to rub out of the creases of his hands. The brunet's tear glands started to work and heart wrenching sobs escaped Zayn's mouth. His tears didn't stop even when the EMT showed up.

Zayn didn't move until he had to. He watched with tear filled eyes as his best friend was covered in a white sheet. Zayn was then ushered outside by the police. As he was walking down that hall he noticed that most of his neighbors on this floor were looking outside their doors at what had happened. Zayn wanted to scream at them for not trying to help his friend. He curled his fists in his hands and hot tears streamed down his face.

The police were going to take Zayn to the station for questioning and call his parents but the poor boy collapsed on the curb in a fit of sobs. They left the blubbering boy alone while someone called his parents to arrange a ride for him.

Zayn gave his statement the next day when he had run out of tears. He didn't even have to get up from his bed at his parents' house, the police came to him. Zayn was mad that he didn't know who the killer was, but the police said that they would do as much as they could to find out the identity of the man and catch him. It didn't make Zayn feel much better.

Zayn didn't eat for weeks. His parents worried constantly about their son. He never left his bed, only to use the bathroom, and he hadn't showered since the incident. He dropped weight and he constantly had dark circles under his eyes because every time he closed them, his dead best friend was always staring at him with vacant eyes. His parents knew that it was hard for him, and they were trying their best to be there for their son.

He couldn't go back to the apartment. He wasn't allowed back until the police were done gathering evidence from the scene, but even when they were done he still couldn't go. His parents went for Zayn, gathering his things as well as Niall's - he had no use for them now - and offered them to Zayn. He took them, pulling one of Niall's shirts to his face and breathing deeply in the scent of his best friend. It was one of the only times that Zayn could really relax and sleep. Good memories flooded Zayn's head and he managed a few bites of food down.

***

The funeral was the worst part for Zayn. It meant that Niall was really gone. Zayn wore a suit and only spoke to people that he had to, otherwise the boy talked to no one. It was a closed casket and not many people came. Zayn cried with Niall's mother who had also had a hard time coping with her youngest son's death. Zayn made a speech, but broke down in the middle of it. His father finished it for him as Zayn collapsed in front of the hole where his best friend would spend forever. Zayn didn't care that people were watching him; he just wanted his best friend back.

Zayn was the first to go up to the hole where Niall laid in his casket. As he threw the dirt over his friend's casket, he uttered the last words that he would speak in a while, "Bye, Nialler. I love you."


	2. The Difference Between You and Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And all of a sudden he knew exactly what had happened.

When Niall wakes up he feels different.

He lays on the floor inside of his apartment, right by the door. He wonders why he's lying there.

Do I have a bad hangover? His head hurt like absolute hell.

He doesn't remember going out for drinks last night, on a Tuesday nonetheless. Although, it's not like he hasn't done that before, his college days were pretty crazy.

But Zayn and him weren't in college anymore. They were both recent grads, just trying to make their way in the world now.

The pair had been inseparable since they met freshman year. Both of the boys had chosen the 'random roommate' option when signing up to live in the dormitory on campus, but for very different reasons.

Niall had chosen that option because he wanted to. He had known that a few people from his high school were also going to this school, but he wanted this experience to be great and he really wanted to meet some new people. After all, that's what college was all about right?

Zayn, on the other hand, had gone with the 'random roommate' option because he had to. He was a quiet kid growing up and he usually kept to himself. Sure, he had a few friends, and was even considered popular at one point, but Zayn had always thought of them as fake friends who would come and go as the seasons changed.

The day they both moved onto campus in the same tiny, ratty old room that they would share, Zayn knew that Niall was going to be an actual lifelong friend. He was just so easy to like. He felt like he could tell Niall anything and everything, and he did.

Niall was there through it all. He was there when Zayn failed his first class and he worried endlessly about whether or not his parents would let him stay. He was there when Zayn smoked his first joint, and second, and third. He was there for every girlfriend, every party, every failed test, every bad day, everything.

It was the least he could do to return the favor to his best mate. And he didn't feel forced to do so, Zayn actually wanted to be there for Niall. Every time Niall drank a little too much, Zayn was there. When Niall threw up after smoking his first cigarette, Zayn was there to clean him up. And there was even that one time a group of guys wanted to fight Niall for running into one of them, Zayn was there to help kick some ass.

Four years. Four years they had the best of times. Every year of college they lived together. When they had outgrown the dorms, they moved into a flat together, and after getting kicked out of their first apartment building because of a few too many loud nights of laughter and music, they moved into a different building, better suited for college kids.

The pair were so close people often thought they were dating. Sometimes they didn't even deny it, jokingly elbowing each other and sending sly looks to one other, bursting into laughter each time. Hell, even their parents thought they were a hot item for a while.

There was a point in time that Zayn was half convinced that he was dating Niall. Not many friends would sleep in each other's beds, or cuddle him the way Niall did. No one quite understood him the way that Niall did and vice versa.

Niall groans as he sits up and he presses the heel of his hands into his eyes, trying to ease the throbbing in his head. He truly didn't know what he was doing on the floor. Usually, if he or Zayn were plastered they'd always make sure they were at least in someone's bed or on the couch.

When the pain subsides a bit Niall gets to his feet and decides to go wake Zayn. When he looks up from his sock clad feet he finally notices how empty the room is.

Actually, there is nothing in the room anymore, which only makes him more confused. There's no carpet on the floor, no broken in couch that needed to be replaced, no coffee table that almost religiously had a bong placed on it, and no noise blaring from the TV because there wasn't one.

"What?" Niall whispers to himself, blinking slowly, hoping that the room would go back to normal as soon as he opened his eyes again.

Did Zayn move out?

A breath hitches in Niall's throat as he runs to Zayn's room. Zayn wouldn't leave him, he wouldn't, so what's going on.

"Zayn–" Niall's call is cut short when he walks into the room to find nothing. The room is barren of all furniture, just like the living room was.

"Zayn, this isn't funny," Niall calls, leaving the boys room to check the bathroom. Nothing in there either, and funnily enough, the toilet bowl is actually clean.

Niall's shaking now and confused as fuck. He walks over to his closed bedroom door. He shuts his eyes tight and prays that somehow Zayn has managed to shove every piece of furniture they own in Niall's tiny ass room.

He opens the door up and that's when the tears start to fall.

Something seriously fucked up is going on.

"Shit, shit," Niall cries. He's confused, he's beyond confused. Where is all his stuff?

He rushes into the kitchen, checking the time on the microwave. 11:29pm.

"Okay Niall," he tells himself and runs his hands through his hair, "What are you going to do? Easy," he spots the door, "Let's just go. We'll go to the nearest open store, ask for a phone, and then we'll call Zayn...or mum."

Niall strides quickly over to the door. It's different from Zayn and his door. Newer. He flips the deadbolt back and pulls open the door, ready to flee.

But he can't.

It's like an invisible wall is built over the threshold of the door, not letting Niall through.

"What?" Niall sobs.

He pounds on the invisible wall, blocking him from leaving. He uses all of his strength and energy, clawing, punching, pushing, but nothing happens. He takes a few steps back and plows his shoulder into the force, but still nothing happens.

It's strange, but it doesn't even hurt Niall in the slightest. He doesn't realize it at the moment because he's too sad, confused, angry. His emotions are switching almost too fast for him to be able to comprehend.

It's when the couple that lives next door walks by Niall, who is still screaming his head off, that he stops.

They don't even notice him. They notice the door that's wide open and they stop to chat about it for a moment before the woman sticks her head through the open door and peeks around, looking for any sign of life.

"Hello?"

"I'm right here," Niall screams in her face, "I'm right fucking here."

__________

Niall's sure he's pretty much figured it out by now.

He didn't find out until the next day when the manager of the building had been showing his apartment to some strangers. They were two girls, not much older than him or Zayn and they had been in Zayn's old room, looking around.

Niall yelled at them to "get the fuck out," but like the people in the hall yesterday, they didn't acknowledge him in the slightest.

He was so frustrated and had so many pent up emotions that when he screamed in anguish, the door to the room slammed shut with such a force that the window panes shook and it had the manager and two girls running for their lives.

Niall was just as confused and scared as they were. He sighed, letting a few tears fall before moving to exit the room.

However, this time when he went to reach for the door his hand actually went through it.

He backed a few steps away in fear, before stumbling over his own feet and falling hard on his back. He had expected it to hurt, but again, it didn't have any effect on him at all. He laid there for a long time, just staring at the ceiling and crying once more.

After his tears had stopped he figured he'd look awful. He lazily turned his head to the side to stare into the mirrored doors of Zayn's closet and he choked on his breath.

He wasn't there.

Niall took a heavy breath and crawled closer to the mirror, his reflection not appearing once. He could see everything else in the room perfectly and it was empty, as if he himself wasn't even in the room.

He lifted his hand to trace where his reflection should be but once again his hand decided to go through the mirror instead. Niall yelped and clutched his hand to his chest, cradling it even though he hadn't felt anything when his hand had gone through the sliding mirrored door.

He furrowed his brows in confusion and once more reached his hand out, curiosity overpowering him. He stuck his hand through the door, then his arm, then his whole head, looking around the dark closet.

Weird, Niall thought when he realized that half of his body was still in Zayn's room. He sat back, completely back in front of the mirror and shkily got to his feet. Niall looked down at his hands, turning them over and back, trying to think if he had miraculously gained a super power that day.

He cautiously stepped over to the bare wall that connected Zayn's room and his, tentatively placing his palm on the wall before taking a deep breath and pushing his extended arm through the wall.

Niall's eyes widened in shock, but he continued to move through the wall until he now stood in his old room.

He couldn't quite place what was going on. He thought about it all day. He tried different experiments on himself, walking through the counter in the kitchen, walking through all of the walls and doors, but he learned that just like when he had tried to go through the door to leave, he was blocked by some invisible force. He was trapped inside his apartment.

He eventually gave up. The sun was beginning to set and he had exhausted all of his leads. He had come up with nothing in conclusion. He was so damned confused.

He leaned against the windowsill, looking out at the sunset, the fading oranges and pinks of the sky calming him for a moment.

As soon as the sun hid behind the horizon and the moon started to come up Niall began to feel a very weird sensation coursing through his body. He couldn't describe the feeling in any way other than what he imagined what TV static coursing through your veins would feel like. The hairs rose on his arms and on the back of his neck and he shuddered continuously until the feeling went away.

"What?" he whispered out loud, touching different areas of his body.

He could still see himself and nothing looked any different to him.

He shrugged it off and walked away from the window. He decided he would sit in the kitchen and watch the time pass on the microwave clock, maybe sing to himself or something.

When he tried to walk through the counter like he had done so many times today, he ran into it like any normal human would. And it hurt.

Niall gasped as his hip bone made contact with the marble countertop. He clutched it and bent over a bit, trying to rub the pain away. He was bewildered once again.

A realization came across Niall's mind. Am I human again? This was just some shitty dream?

He quickly ran to the bathroom, almost ripping the door off of it's hinges in excitement, and he looked into the mirror.

His pale reflection stared back at him, but at least it was his reflection. His hair was messy and flat on his head, eyes a duller shade of blue than he remembered, but it was him.

An uncontrolled gasp left his body when Niall noticed a weird scar in the center of his forehead. He brought his fingers up to the scar. It was circular, smaller than a dime, but visible nonetheless.

His fingers traced over the mark, and it was soft. In fact, he could push on it a little bit and there seemed to be a soft spot in his skull. A slow realization came over Niall as his shaking hand reached around to the back of his head, feeling another indent directly opposite from the one on the front of his head.

And all of a sudden he knew exactly what had happened.


	3. The New Tenants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I can't believe you signed a lease without looking at the apartment in person," a boy with feathery brown hair and blue eyes said. He was shorter than the other two boys, but his personality seemed bigger than both.
> 
> "The landlord couldn't show it," the bulkier boy said, "Don't know why."
> 
> "Still," the tiniest boy continued, "Could be like, haunted or some shit."

"Nice place guys," Louis cheers, dumping his box full of stuff on the floor before hopping up onto the counter and swinging his feet.

"Yeah," Harry struggles to speak as he and Liam carry the heavy couch into the room, "And thanks so much for your help mate," he adds sarcastically, noticing Louis lounging on the countertop.

Louis rolls his eyes and proceeds to get off of the counter, instead falling onto the couch when the other two boys set it down, "I did help H, I was just waiting for you lot to bring this beast up. Swear to God, most comfortable couch, ever."

Harry rolls his eyes, and Liam laughs, saying, "You can thank my mum for that one."

"Will do," Louis replies with a cheeky grin, "Now, how about a break? Got any snacks?"

"Louis we just started," Harry groans, "and you've only helped carry up one box."

"It's not my fault you had me up at the asscrack of dawn to help out," Louis crosses his arms over one another, pouting, "I'm hungry."

"Not my fault that you chose ten extra minutes of sleep over breakfast," Harry retorted.

"Let's stop bickering shall we?" Liam interrupted Louis' response, "We'll get some food after we bring everything up, then we'll come back and unpack, sound good?"

Louis huffed in response but kept quiet. Instead, he rose from his spot on the couch and dramatically stomped in the direction of the door.

"Let's hurry the fuck up then," he grumbled as he pulled the door open, not caring if the other two were following him or not.

__________

Niall's usual morning routine of walking aimlessly through the different rooms of his old apartment and singing softly to himself was interrupted that morning by the new tenants moving in.

He had heard the lock turn on the door and he quickly moved to Zayn's old room to hide, momentarily forgetting that the people walking through the door couldn't see him.

Niall could make out three different voices, all making sounds of approval. Niall tentatively stuck his head through the wall of Zayn's room to look at the visitors. Three boys stood on the other side of the wall, all of varying sizes. One was tall and lanky, one was average size and muscular, while the last was a bit shorter and more petite than the other two.

"I can't believe you signed a lease without looking at the apartment in person," a boy with feathery brown hair and blue eyes said. He was shorter than the other two boys, but his personality seemed bigger than both.

"The landlord couldn't show it," the bulkier boy said, "Don't know why."

"Still," the tiniest boy continued, "Could be like, haunted or some shit."

"Well, it's not, so piss off Louis. This is supposed to be a good day. We're finally away from all that shit back home," the third boy speaks up now. Niall finds him the most intriguing with his curly brown hair and jade green eyes.

"Yeah, you're right," Louis hangs his head in shame, "Sorry Harry."

Harry, the name suits him.

"We should start bringing some stuff up," the boy that Niall has yet to learn his name says, "We don't have the truck all day."

Niall slowly came out from Zayn's room – well, Liam's new room (Niall had finally overheard his name when Louis was trying to get him on his side of his next fight with Harry; where to put the entertainment stand) – to watch the three of them move in and interact. He learned that Louis was the funniest and Niall thought that if he and Zayn had met Louis before the current circumstances, they would have all been great friends.

Niall also noticed how level-headed Liam seemed. He wouldn't choose one of his friends over the other, instead he acted as a mediator, and Niall admired that. Zayn and he rarely fought, and he thinks that it would have been nice to have someone like Liam around when they did, because they were often too stubborn to apologize first. Most times, they would both ignore each other for so long that they would not speak about the fight, pretending things had never happened in the first place.

Harry seemed very moody, but there was just something about him that interested Niall. He seemed a little lost in the world, much like he had been when he had left for college. He knows that there had to be a reason that he was acting this way, and if Niall was a human like them he'd want to try and figure out what was going on.

Niall watched as the trio moved furniture and boxes all day. At one point during the day, when the hot sun was shining through the big windows of the living room, causing the temperature inside the apartment to rise a few degrees, Harry had pulled off his shirt to work and the sight had Niall choking on his spit.

Harry's tan tattooed skin glistened with sweat. Niall studied the way his muscles flexed – not in a weird way of course...but even if it were in a weird way it's not like anyone was going to call him out on it anyways, with him being a ghost and all – as he pulled his long hair up into a bun at the back of his head.

By the time it hit three o'clock in the afternoon the three had moved everything up from the truck, according to Liam.

"Fucking finally, I'm starved," Louis complained.

He followed Liam out of the apartment, Liam telling him that they should return the moving truck and find something around there or on the way back to eat. Harry trailed behind, pulling his shirt over his head. The lock turned behind them.

When the lock clicked, signalling that they were gone, Niall began to worry. It was nice that there were new people moving in, very attractive people nonetheless, but what about the whole turning into "human" at night thing?

Niall used the term "human" lightly because he knew he wasn't actually alive. He no longer had human tendencies. He never felt tired, he never felt thirsty or hungry, much to his dismay. His favorite thing was to eat and try new foods. He also never had the urge to use the restroom, which he considered himself lucky for that because there was no trace of toilet paper in the place. He checked.

What am I going to do? Where the hell am I going to hide?

It had crossed his mind to just let the whole changing at sunset thing to happen in the middle of the living room, just to get it over with, but he figured that the new tenants wouldn't be too happy about that, no matter how nice they seemed at times. Who wants to move into a new place and have a ghost who's trapped there – not knowing how he died – manifest in the middle of the room. He thinks that it would freak them out too much, and he doesn't get offended by that thought.

Niall makes his way through the flat, even though he knows it by the back of his hand and looks for different potential spots for him to hide when the sun goes down.

The cabinets in the kitchen are too small for him to fit and there's no room underneath the couch. He thinks of hiding in one of the closets around the apartment or under Liam or Harry's bed until they fall asleep, but he thinks that it's almost creepy. He settles on the coat closet by the door.

He hopes that his claustrophobia doesn't kick in.

Niall's practicing the best way to rearrange himself in the small closet when the boys come home. It startles him for a second and he feels weird, like he's invading their privacy, but he can't help it.

"Will you stay and help us unpack for a little bit?" Liam asks Louis, a hopeful smile on his face.

"I guess," Louis groans, "But only if Harry gets the stick out of his ass."

Harry rolls his eyes. He's been annoyed at Louis all day. He's actually been annoyed at Louis a lot longer than all day, but he tries not to let it show.

"I'll be in my room," Harry mumbles, picking up a box labeled with his name and making his way into his room, kicking the door shut with his foot.

Harry finds his bedding in one of the many boxes and dresses up his bed before falling onto it and letting out a loud sigh. He puts his headphones in his ears and turns the music up loud so he can no longer hear Louis' high pitched voice and ear piercing laughter.

"Louis," Niall hears Liam scold quietly and he can only wonder what had happened between the two friends.

"Don't Liam, I know," Louis sighs and takes a box of hangers and coats from Liam's hands, "You want these in here right?" he asks, gesturing to the closet that Niall is in.

"Yeah, thanks," Liam runs his hand over his buzzed head and turns to another box, deciding not to ream Louis out for getting on Harry's nerves today. He's thankful for his help.

Niall's eyes widen in fear when the closet door is pulled open and Louis stands in front of him. He pushes his body scaredly against the wall, but this is one that he can't go through.

Louis starts to hang up the hangers and coats, his mind wandering off to Harry who has been either pissed off at him or avoiding him for some time now. He knows why his best friend is acting the way he is, and he feels guilty he really does. He just doesn't know if they are ever going to get past it. He wishes they would.

Niall's still not used to the whole going through things and having things go through him, so he's trying to avoid Louis hands and the coats that he's hanging in the already tiny closet.

The more things that Louis hangs up the more compact the closet becomes. It's even worse when Louis starts throwing shoes in the bottom of the closet, all of them going through Niall's body and making him cringe.

Niall decides that this isn't the place for him to hide. At least not right now. Niall stands from where he was crouched under the coats and walks through Louis. It's something that Niall has never done before, so he decides to see.

Louis freezes in his spot as the air becomes ice cold where his hand is in the closet. He also seems to be stuck in place, his mind isn't communicating to his feet, telling him to run. He watches where the ice cold spot travels, climbing up his arm and making the hairs raise.

The cold air suddenly consumes him. Louis exhales scared and is unable to regain his breath. His blue eyes are open wide in fear and he knows that something is not right.

But just as quick as the cold consumed him, it's gone. The room seems to lighten up and his body regains feeling. He stumbles back a few steps and trips over an empty cardboard box, falling to the ground. He gasps for air like a fish out of water.

"Louis are you okay?" Liam crouches down next to Louis and places a hand on his forearm. He can feel his friends goosebumps and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Harry, having heard Louis tumble to the floor also peeks his head into the room curiously. He looks at Liam's confused face and Louis' trembling hands and the boy has tears in his eyes. Harry shuts his music off, pulls the earbuds from his ears, and stays where he is but he watches intently.

"Fuck this," Louis whimpers but repeats it again, the second time more stern.

Niall watches Louis' reaction to him and guilt rises up in his chest. He had no idea he would react the way that he did. He feels bad that the small lad seems so shaken.

"Lou, what–" Liam tries to speak but Louis is up on his feet in an instant, pushing past Liam to get to the door.

Louis turns around on his heel when he sees Liam reaching for him again, "No," he yells, holding a hand up to stop Liam in his place, "This place is fucking haunted."

"What?" Liam looks even more confused, if possible. Harry rolls his eyes from where he stands.

"You didn't feel what I just felt," Louis says, crossing his arms over his chest. He feels a bit violated by the cool breeze.

"Stop being dramatic Lou," Harry says, finally entering the room, his phone clutched in his hand, earbuds swinging low by his feet.

Louis' mouth opens and closes in shock at Harry's accusation, then looks over to Liam who's brows are still furrowed.

"It is, I can feel it."

Harry shakes his head and laughs while Liam stares at Louis unsure. Niall watches from behind the counter.

He watches Harry as he laughs. It isn't a nice laugh, it's a mean one. Niall frowns at the sound and starts to wonder what his genuine laugh sounded like. His thoughts drift from Harry's laugh to the thin t-shirt he's wearing.

With the bright sunset spilling into the apartment he could see all of Harry's tattoos through the fabric of the black shirt. He admires the butterfly on his stomach and his eyes move up to the two swallows before trailing up his long neck and resting on hip puffy pink lips.

Niall's eyes widen when he notices the room becoming slightly darker and the feeling starts to take over.

"Shit," he whispers to himself and sprints across the room, making sure to avoid the three men.

The lease term papers that were sitting on the counter are blown off from the energy that Niall didn't know he was exerting.

"See," he hears Louis yell, but it becomes muffled as Niall passes through the wall into Liam's room, just in time for his "human" form to appear.

He falls to the floor with a loud thud and he freezes.

"What the fuck was that?" he hears Louis whisper, "I fucking told you."

Niall quickly looks at all of the boxes scattered around the room before he quietly opens one up and places items within onto the floor. He then places the box on it's side so it looks like it fell over and he sneaks into the closet, sliding the door shut just in time for the door to the room to open.

"Come on Louis, it was just this box that fell," Harry shouts, him being the only one brave enough to enter the room. He didn't believe in ghosts or paranormal things. Louis just watched too much Ghost Adventures.

"If you think I'm coming in there you're damn wrong," Louis shouts back from the living room, "I know what I felt!"

"Whatever," Harry grumbles and Niall hears his heavy footsteps leaving the room before the door clicks shut.

He releases a sigh that he didn't need to and slowly slides the closet door back open, poking his head out to see if the room is clear. When he sees that it is, he decides that this hiding spot won't do, so he opts for the only other option in the room and hopes that Liam doesn't find him.

He crawls under the bed.

A/N: Shout out to @CosyChairReads14 and @batosai75 for being my very first readers/voters/commenters! I appreciate it! :)


	4. The First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wasn't haunting the three, far from it. Niall is a bit offended by those words, but he can't explain himself to them.

Niall waits a long time under Liam's bed. He listens to the muffled conversation between the three friends out in the living room. He hears more of Harry and Louis' bickering, but he can only make out a few words of the exchange. Eventually, Niall hears the door open and slam shut and he figures Louis has gotten sick of Harry's attitude and left.

The next hour is spent thinking about the effect he had on Louis. Niall feels bad for the lad, he does, but he is glad that Harry and Liam seem to not believe him about his spirit being trapped in the apartment.

He wasn't haunting the three, far from it. Niall is a bit offended by those words, but he can't explain himself to them.

He had felt something when passing through Louis. He could feel the shock and fear that the boy was feeling, only for an instant. Niall wonders if he could possess someone's body.

He wonders what it would feel like, to be living in someone else's body for a moment in time. Would he feel how scared the host is or would he only feel his emotions instead? Niall thinks he would certainly feel bad for controlling someone and being in their body without permission. He vows to never possess someone without their consent.

Niall imagines how they would react if he walked out of Liam's room all of a sudden. He could imagine the shocked and scared looks of the boys. Would they try and throw him out? He pictures Liam grabbing his arm in a tight grip and dragging him to the door, trying to push his body out of the apartment but finding it impossible.

He thinks that Liam would be the nicest one. Harry would probably think he's mental. He could picture Harry watching with guarded eyes and upon seeing him not being able to leave he would probably just make something up in his head to make the situation sound rational. Niall rolls his eyes at the thought.

Niall had believed in the paranormal spirits when he had been alive. Zayn and he loved watching scary movies and they were convinced they had one time encountered a ghost themselves. No one believed them when they had told the story, so their excitement of ghosts being real was something kept between the two.

Niall being who he is now only confirmed their thoughts.

Niall almost laughs out loud when he thinks of how scared Louis would be if he was just to appear in the middle of the room out of thin air. He could see the boy screaming in fear and bolting from the apartment completely.

He wonders if he's scared Louis so badly that he won't come back.

After a while, Niall starts to get antsy, but he knows he can't move. He can't sing to himself like he normally does, he can't wander around, bored and trying to think of dumb things to pass the time. He thinks he's been under the bed for a few hours now and he wonders when the boys will go to sleep. He doesn't think that it will be any time soon.

Niall closes his eyes with a soft sigh and his thoughts drift to Harry.

His tall stature and bright green eyes that just seem to pierce anything they come in contact with. Niall had witnessed the glare he had been shooting Louis and Niall never wanted to be on the other end of that look.

Harry often wore what can only be described as a resting bitch face. He was always so guarded, and Niall had yet to see a soft side of the lad, something that he yearned for. He was a very attractive lad, and Niall would have definitely put the moves on him if he had seen him before he died.

Niall wondered why Harry acted so closed off. Surely, something must have happened for him to be acting the way that he did. Niall knows that there was some sort of riff in his and Louis' relationship, anyone could see that clear as day.

If what had happened between the two had been that bad, why were they even still friends? Why didn't Harry just stop talking and hanging out with Louis? Niall wonders if Zayn had done something bad if he would be able to cut him out of his life...he doesn't think that he could so he understands what Harry and Louis must be going through.

It must be exhausting to Liam though, having to put up with the pair bickering and fighting all of the time. He must be so patient and have so much love for the two to be able to mediate their arguments all of the time. He could just leave and let the two work it out amongst themselves, but he decides to stay because they are his best mates.

Niall wonders if his best mate is alright. He hopes that Zayn has moved on from him and he hopes that he's taking care of himself. He isn't quite sure the amount of time that has passed since he's...passed, time kind of gets away from you when there's no calendars or phones, or really anything to tell the date in the empty apartment.

Niall misses Zayn and he's sure that his heart would be heavy with pain if he could feel it. It's weird, turning back into a "human" at night. Niall still feels no urges to eat or sleep, he doesn't feel his heart beating in his chest. Niall wants to cry, he wants to scream at the top of his lungs. He wants to feel again.

Sure, the first night he had turned back and he ran into the counter it had seemed painful, but Niall figured out that it was just an instinct to react and rub at the spot like he did when he was a human. It hadn't actually hurt Niall in the moment, and as much as he wished it did, it was just another thing taken from him when his life ended.

After Niall had exhausted all of his thoughts, he stared up at the underside of Liam's bed. He started to try and count the stitches in the bed, but quickly grew bored after he had lost count three times. He ran his fingers over the metal frame that he knew would be ice cold if he could feel it.

When he heard the door open and Liam bid Harry a goodnight Niall froze in his spot. He watched from under the bed as Liam walked over to the stack of boxes he had knocked over earlier. He watches Liam's knees enter his line of vision and he held his breath, watching as Liam picked up the spilled contents from the box and put them away.

Liam was humming to himself, occasionally singing a line from the song that he was singing and Niall had to admit that Liam had a very nice voice. He could see him playing gigs at the local bar or on the street and Niall stopping to admire the beautiful voice that was as smooth as honey.

Liam dressed up the bed, not noticing anything weird going on in his room. He grabbed his towel and his soaps out of a box, then grabbed a fresh pair of boxers before going to the bathroom to take a shower. Harry had retired to his bedroom after Liam had said goodnight and Liam could see the soft glow coming from underneath Harry's door, signaling that the boy was still awake.

Niall wondered if he should move from his spot and maybe return to the front closet until he was sure that both boys were asleep. He wasn't sure how long Liam was going to take in the shower though and he wouldn't want to be caught in the act of a grown ass man trying to hide inside their closet, so he decided to stay put.

It wasn't long before Liam came back, flicking the lights off and collapsing on his bed with a sigh. It had been a long day of moving and weird events that he didn't even want to delve into, so instead he put his headphones in his ears and drowned out the world with music.

Niall almost laughed out loud when he imagined what he would do if Liam had ever brought someone home to have sex with. Or if he had decided to do things to himself Niall would be mortified under his bed. He thinks that would be excruciatingly painful and he decided that he needed to find a better hiding spot as soon as possible.

After Niall was sure that Liam was asleep he silently slid out from under his bed, smirking at the thought of him being a monster under Liam's bed. He looked at the sleeping boy for a moment, who was cuddling one of his pillows to his chest, earphones still playing soft music in his ears, before Niall deemed that he was becoming too creepy and snuck over to Liam's closed door.

He listened for a long moment, and when he heard nothing but blaring silence in return he carefully opened the door and peeked his head outside the room to make sure that there wasn't anyone in the room.

The coast was clear, so Niall softly closed Liam's door behind him, thanking God that someone had greased the hinges since Zayn and him had been living here.

Niall peeked at his old room, noticing that there was no light coming from Harry's room either, and he relaxed a little bit. He took a seat on the comfortable couch and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table, checking out the digital clock underneath the TV.

He figured he had about four hours until sunrise and he would vanish again and he cursed the boys for being up so late. He had been under that bed for too goddamn long.

Niall found the remote sitting next to the TV and he made a mental note as he carefully picked it up and sat back down on the couch to return it to the exact spot it had been in. He clicked on the television and tried to look for something other than late night infomercials and the news.

He settled on one of the various movie channels playing a movie he had never seen before and had never been interested in seeing, but now was as good of a time as any to become a movie buff.

Niall was glad to actually have something to do now instead of aimlessly walk around the apartment, singing to himself and trying to figure out what he could and couldn't do as a ghost/human hybrid.

He kept the volume low, so low that he almost couldn't hear it, and curled up on the sofa. He wasn't cold, but he yearned for there to be a blanket and for Zayn to be by his side so that they could cuddle and watch the movie. He missed eating too, a lot. He wished he could crave food the way he once did.

The few hours he had remaining as a human were spent on the sofa, watching the few different movies that came on.

Once he noticed the sky getting lighter and the bird waking up, he shut off the TV and placed the controller back in its spot before sitting back on the couch to wait for his body to disappear once more.


	5. A Strange Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall followed behind Harry in a daze but jumped back when the door slammed behind Harry. Niall was embarrassed by what he was doing. He was actually going to follow Harry into the bathroom where he was going to shower. Naked.
> 
> It's not like he would see you, his brain goes against him.
> 
> No, Niall told himself. He couldn't. That would be a huge invasion of privacy.

Harry wakes up feeling like he's being watched. His body is on high alert, heart thumping away in his chest, a few drops of sweat slipping from his brow, and his body tangled up in his sheets. The feeling of being stared at is so real that he tugs harshly on his sheets and covers his bare chest.

Niall guiltily jumps away in fear as Harry bolts up from his sleep. He admits he had been watching the boy rest since the early hours of the morning when he had shifted back into "ghost form."

If he were human he would be blushing like mad right now.

Niall couldn't help himself though. There was just something about Harry that piqued Niall's interest; apart from his obvious good looks.

Harry looked so peaceful while he slept. The almost permanent scowl he wore was gone, making him look younger and more gentile while he snoozed. He even made funny noises here and there which Niall couldn't help but smile at.

Harry quickly scans the room for an intruder but nothing looks at all out of place. The cardboard boxes still sat perfectly stacked in a pyramid next to the closet and his door was still in fact, locked.

Niall wondered why Harry was so closed off. He was such a mystery and Niall wanted to figure him out, put all of the pieces together. Maybe someday. Niall rolled his eyes at his thoughts. Not likely.

As Harry finished gazing around the room, uncertain as to why he had woken up feeling so strongly that someone was watching him, he met his own scared gaze in the mirror. His wide green eyes stared back at him. His hair was a terrible mess, probably all knotted up from tossing and turning all night, too long for his liking but he couldn't be bothered to get it cut.

He looked silly, his sheets pulled up to his neck to hide his toned body and his comforter laying in a heap on the floor. He kicked it off sometime during the night, it being too hot in his room. He cursed Liam for that.

Liam on the other hand had felt quite chilly while he rested in his bed, waiting for sleep to overtake him. He pulled his covers up close to his body and even kept his sweats on to keep warm. He nor Niall knew that he had been radiating this cold energy.

The boy with the short hair turned up the thermostat a couple degrees higher, even though the living room was warmer than his room. He decided to put in a request to have it looked at by the maintenance man the next day.

Liam was shivering in his sleep, Niall noticed when he climbed out from under the boys bed. He took a few steps away from Liam and watched as the boy relaxed and his body stopped shivering. Niall figured it was something he had done, he wasn't quite aware of everything that he could now do and he felt guilty for making Liam uncomfortable.

Harry huffed and fell back into his bed, closing his eyes for a moment. The apartment was silent, which meant that Liam had gone off to work already this morning. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. Harry would like nothing more to go back to sleep right now, but the weird feeling was still there and he was awake enough to know that going back to sleep would not be an easy task.

He removed his phone from it's charger and relaxed back in bed, aimlessly scrolling through social media. Harry never posted much on his social media, he didn't feel the need to share anything about his life. If people wanted to know what he was up to then they could ask.

It's not like he even liked looking at the things other people were doing either, none of it seemed necessary to him. But everyone had social media, so he thought why not. It was something to pass the time during his boring classes Uni or something to distract him from studying.

Harry considered himself a decent student. He fell somewhere on the spectrum between Liam and Louis. Liam had always been a good student and that carried on into his college career. Liam could party over the course of the whole weekend, or not even show up to classes and he'd still get flawless grades.

Louis on the other hand was a bit of an underachiever. School wasn't something he really cared about too much. He wanted to be a football star instead. He played on the team for their university and he was pretty good, although he would be benched if he didn't get his grades up. Liam had taken the opportunity to help him out because his job outside of school was actually tutoring.

Liam enjoyed learning and helping others excel in classes and that's what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He wanted to be a teacher, to shape and form the minds of growing children. It was something that he was very proud of, in fact. He couldn't wait to graduate and start that journey.

Harry had no idea what he wanted to do. He knew he wanted to do something that involved music, he just didn't know what exactly. He worked down at a record shop a few blocks away and he loved it. It was a chill place, with CD's hanging from the ceiling, catching the sun as it set and reflecting pretty colors off of the walls.

It wasn't the hottest spot for people to come to, being able to buy and hear music on your phone now, but the people that did come in always caught Harry's interest. He liked to observe people and the records they chose. Most times he tried to figure out what kind of music the people were into before they checked out.

He'd like to sing. He enjoyed it very much. But he didn't really know how to play guitar or piano or drums or even the tambourine. He had a guitar, his father's old one, but it was way out of tune and it hadn't been touched by Harry in a few years.

He knows he could always take a class at uni that taught him how to play instruments, but he didn't want to waste that much money on something that he could probably learn on YouTube. He just had to actually get around to doing it.

After scrolling through his timelines and seeing nothing of importance, Harry locked his phone and stared up at the ceiling. He knew he had to get up for his classes soon and then he had work after. His Monday's were usually pretty long with school and work, then he had homework to complete for tomorrow's classes since it had been put off because of moving. He also still had to unpack his room and get groceries for the flat.

"Shit," Harry cursed tiredly. He had a lot to do today.

Harry was thankful that he had a few hours until his first class so that he could start on the work that was due tomorrow or maybe start unpacking his room.

He decided to start with unpacking his room. He pulled out his speaker first and set it up on his dresser. He connected his phone and turned up the volume, hoping that unpacking wouldn't be too bad if he had some good music playing.

Niall watched Harry with curious eyes. He kept his distance from the boy, not wanting to scare him like he had Louis. He watched Harry's muscles flex as he lifted the heavy boxes off of the ground. Niall couldn't help but gaze at all of the tattoos that adorned Harry's torso. The swallows, the butterfly, the cross on his hand. There were so many and they were all so beautiful.

Niall had never been a fan of tattoos on himself. He just didn't think that they would look right on his pale skin, but he had always appreciated them. He had even gone with Zayn a few times when he had gone to get them. The process seemed a bit scary.

But on Harry's tan skin they were breathtaking. Niall couldn't help but want to reach out and trace the ink with his fingers. He wanted to know which was first and which was most recent. He wanted to know what they meant and if he had any plans for any more.

Harry was mostly unpacked by the time he had to start getting ready for class. He grabbed a folded towel he had unpacked and a change of boxers and headed out of his room and into the only bathroom in the apartment.

Niall followed behind Harry in a daze but jumped back when the door slammed behind Harry. Niall was embarrassed by what he was doing. He was actually going to follow Harry into the bathroom where he was going to shower. Naked.

It's not like he would see you, his brain goes against him.

No, Niall told himself. He couldn't. That would be a huge invasion of privacy.

He sighed and turned around, walking into the kitchen trying to distract his mind from the loud singing coming from the bathroom.

Harry had a great voice, Niall decided after a minute. Even though it was muffled from his spot in the kitchen Niall could tell that he had an amazing voice.

Unconsciously, Niall drifted closer to the door, wanting to hear Harry's singing not being muffled by the door. His eyes widened when he found himself inside the bathroom.

He didn't mean to phase through the door. Niall noticed that the door hadn't been locked, not that he couldn't be in there if it were, but his mind was trying to make excuses for him. Anyone could walk through the door, he thought.

He rolled his eyes at himself and bit his lip. He really shouldn't be in here.

But as soon as Harry started singing again all of the thoughts flew out of Niall's head.

He just wanted to see the words fall from Harry's pretty pink lips.

Niall crept towards the shower. His emotions were on high alert and as he passed by the deodorant Harry had left out on the counter he knocked it off.

The plastic landed loudly on the tile of the bathroom, scaring both Niall and Harry, the singing immediately stopping. Niall quickly walked through the wall out of the bathroom and into Liam's room. He paced around, scared and feeling like he had done the worst thing possible.

Harry's heart was racing and he quickly pulled back the shower curtain, checking to see if someone was in the bathroom with him. He held his shampoo bottle up as a weapon and stood in a defensive pose. His racing heart calmed a bit when he noticed his deodorant laying on the floor.

He let out a long sigh and calmed down, turning off the water and getting out of the shower, shivering as his feet hit the cold floor and he quickly wrapped his towel around his waist.

Niall stayed far away from Harry until he left for class.


	6. Non Believers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It probably just fell off the counter," Liam reasoned.
> 
> "Yeah," Louis scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Because a ghost made it fall."

Niall was bored as hell.

It wasn't unusual for him to be feeling this way, but the boys moving in had kept his mind quite busy.

But now that he was all alone again he didn't know what to do with himself.

He wandered around the apartment a few times, examining things that the boys had already put away in their respective spots. He looked at the video games and movies they had set up on the shelf under the TV, he looked at the fruit that was sitting on the counter, wishing that he could pick up one of those juicy apples and bite into it.

He crept back into Harry's room, feeling nervous like he was about to be caught by the almost constantly-angry looking lad. He curiously gazed at the few pictures that he had placed on top of his dresser. One was with him and a slightly older girl who was wearing a cap and gown, accompanied by who Niall could only assume was their mother.

There was another of Louis, Liam, and Harry, who looked like they were in high school at the time, all wearing their footie uniforms and holding up a big trophy with big grins plastered on their faces.

A few necklaces sat on top of the dresser. A paper airplane one and a pearl necklace. Niall could only imagine what Harry would look like wearing the pearl necklace, hot probably.

He wondered if Harry was interested in men...or ghosts for that matter. Manly ghosts? Boy spirits that haunted his new apartment? Male apparitions that just happened to almost see him naked the other day?

Niall bit his lip at the thought of Harry's gorgeous body dripping with water. He could just imagine his muscles flexing as he brought his arms up to scrub at his long hair, head thrown back as to not get soap in his eyes.

Niall gulped and let out a shaky breath, trying to push the image from his mind as his non-existent jeans managed to get tighter. Ghosts could get boners?

"I'll add that to the list of things I can do," Niall muttered to himself, adjusting his junk and turning from Harry's room.

Niall wondered what else he could do as a ghost. At the moment, he knew that no one could see him during daylight hours, he wouldn't even appear in a mirror. He knew that he could walk through objects and people. He couldn't leave the apartment, while he was in ghost form or as a human. He could create bursts of air currents, sometimes knocking papers off of the counter. He knew that he could shut doors sometimes, and he knew that he could get a boner.

That wasn't useful information, he thought to himself, but at least no one would see it if I did get one.

He decided to try something simple like turning on the TV. The remote had been moved to the coffee table in front of the couch, so Niall sat up and let out a breath, trying to concentrate on what he wanted to do.

Press the power button, he thought, turn the TV on.

Nothing.

Niall huffed and crossed his arms. He furrowed his brows at the remote and stared at the red power button, willing it to be pushed.

Still nothing.

He even tried to push the button with his ghost hands, hoping that it would help force the energy enough to press the switch.

Nada.

Niall slumped back on the couch, angry that his stupid powers seemed to not be working. He was so frustrated that he felt the urge to scream, so he did because it wasn't like anyone would hear him anyways.

A soft thud came from behind him and Niall sat up, startled. He looked behind him over the couch and noticed a peach had fallen to the floor.

He smiled. So I can move things, he thought proudly, now I just have to figure out how to control it.

Niall laid back on the couch, content with his findings for today, and closed his eyes, resting his arms underneath his head. He hummed to himself happily and soon started to sing out loud.

He was later interrupted by Liam and Louis walking through the door, scaring him greatly. Niall quickly rolled off behind the couch before realizing that the pair couldn't see him. He peeked up from behind the couch at the two boys entering the flat.

"Liam, I don't want to be here," Louis says, playing with his fingers and looking around the apartment nervously. He was weary to come back here and he almost waited down for Liam in the car, but Liam pulled him up here.

"Louis," Liam sighed in return, "You have nothing to be scared of."

Niall felt a pang of guilt once again. He wished he could apologize to Louis for scaring him as badly as he did. He really did regret it and he never wanted something of the matter to happen again.

"Right," Louis rolled his eyes in response, a little pissed off that his friend didn't believe him.

"I'll be right back," the other boy said, already heading to his room.

Louis signed and stayed in his place, once again scanning the room once again for anything out of the ordinary. He wasn't scared of ghosts per se, but there was just something about what he had felt the other day that was driving him crazy.

Maybe he had watched one too many scary movies or maybe it was the fact that he had looked into a few possession cases that had him feeling uneasy. He most certainly didn't want to be possessed.

His eyes landed on the peach that was sitting on the floor by the kitchen counter.

"Liam," he called anxiously, not taking his eyes off of the fruit.

"What now Lou?" Liam rolled his eyes as he reentered the living room, holding his forgotten english book in his hands. Louis silently pointed at something on the ground and Liam furrowed his eyebrows at his mate who had been acting crazy ever since the other day.

He moved so that whatever Louis was pointing at was within his view.

"Why are you pointing at a peach?"

Louis rhuffed, "Why is the peach on the floor Liam?" he asked, irritated, "I'll tell you why. Ghost."

Liam shook his head and walked over to the peach, picking it up and making a face seeing that it was now bruised and soft on the side that it had fallen on. He placed it back on the counter with the rest of the fruit, thinking that he'd cut off the good part of it later for a snack.

"It probably just fell off the counter," Liam reasoned.

"Yeah," Louis scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Because a ghost made it fall."

"What's got you so obsessed that there's a ghost living here?" Liam questioned, not really wanting to have this conversation with Louis, again.

"Why don't you and Harry believe me," Louis whined, falling defeatedly on the couch.

Niall peeked over the back of the couch at Louis who had now shoved his head into a pillow and was moaning loudly.

"I haven't noticed anything weird," Liam tells him and places a hand on Louis' shoulder to which the older boy shrugs off, "And Harry doesn't believe in that kind of stuff."

It hurt Niall hearing Liam say that Harry didn't believe in ghosts. It's not like Niall had believed it either when he was a human, or at least that's what he told himself. Zayn used to beg Niall to watch scary movies and while Niall wasn't fond of them he watched to make Zayn happy. It wasn't the ghosts that Niall was afraid of, it was the idea of getting possessed by an evil spirit that had him up all night worrying. He would often sneak into Zayn's room to spend the night.

But now that he was in fact a ghost, Niall felt offended. How could Harry not give the time or day to the evidence of ghosts being real?

Niall thought that he could try to make Harry a believer. He had already knocked over his deodorant while he was showering, but Niall hadn't stayed around long enough to see how badly it had scared Harry. The boy probably just thought it had fallen on its own or something.

Maybe, if Niall harnessed his energy enough to be able to move things whenever he wanted, he could use that power to scare Harry. Or he could just scream like he usually did, that seemed to do the trick most of the time.

He knows that it's better if none of them know that there actually is a spirit living in the apartment, but that's no fun for Niall. He's already tired of having to hide for hours until the boys go to sleep and he's already almost been caught.

"Well Harry is an idiot," Louis mumbled, face still smashed into the pillow.

Agreed, Niall thinks.

"Li," Louis turns to look at the younger boy in his russet colored eyes, begging Liam to believe him, "There is something here, I swear to God."

Liam bites on his lip, seeing Louis pleading and stressed like this makes him only feel bad for his friend and he isn't quite sure that he believes him so he tries to change the subject.

"Maybe we should go back to class," he tries but Louis' eyes narrow at him and he knows he's made a mistake.

"Fine," Louis spits, pushing himself up off of the couch and heading to pick up his discarded backpack from the floor. He flings it over his shoulder and turns to shoot Liam another glare before he continues, "But when I bring a Ouiji board back with me then you'll believe."

Louis doesn't wait for Liam in the apartment, instead slamming the door dramatically shut behind him and making his way down the stairs.

Liam sighs and follows Louis, knowing that he'll be getting the silent treatment for the rest of the day.

After hearing Louis' idea, Niall perks up.

Finally, someone to talk to.


	7. Oi! Ouija Board Time!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall slowly moves the piece to where the word 'yes' is written in all capital letters.
> 
> "Oh my God," Louis breathes, "I fucking told you."
> 
> "Fuck off, you're pushing it," Harry responds.

The next day, Louis storms into Harry and Liam's apartment, startling Harry who was sitting on the couch, working on a very boring essay for one of his classes while the TV plays something mindless in the background.

Louis' sudden interruption causes Harry to press down harder on his pencil as he jumps, scraping the pencil across the page, leaving a long dark line from the letter he was writing. He makes a face at the now ruined page and then turns his glare over to Louis.

"Liam," Louis calls when he notices the boy isn't in the room, ignoring Harry's look. He quickly walks over to Liam's room and pushes the door open to see Liam bent over his desk doing homework with his head phones stuffed in his ears.

"Hey," Louis yells at him and if he weren't in such a mood to prove to the two tenants that this place was indeed haunted, he would have laughed at Liam who had almost fallen off of his chair.

"What?" Liam asks, swiveling around in his chair to face Louis. He was now annoyed at the boy for scaring him and he didn't want to deal with whatever he had planned.

"Come on, we're doing this," Louis shakes the box in his hands.

Liam squints, trying to read the box. His eyes widen to the size of saucers when he realizes what Louis had brought over.

"A Ouija board?" Liam asks, unsure, "We are not doing that in here."

"Yes, we fucking are," Louis retorts and turns and meets Harry's curious eyes, "You too."

"No," Harry responds, closing his notebook and giving Louis a hard look, "I'm good."

"Sorry, but you don't have a choice."

"Pretty sure I do," Harry says, crossing his arms and glaring at the other boy as Liam appears in the living room.

"Not today you don't. We are figuring this shit out once and for all."

Harry shakes his head and starts laughing when he realizes what Louis is talking about, "You seriously think this place is haunted? You're kidding me."

"It is," Louis shoots him a look.

"Ghosts aren't real," Harry tells him seriously, "You're such a baby Lou."

Niall phases into the living room. He had been in Harry's room, minding his own business. He had been avoiding Harry ever since he had almost walked in on him in the shower. It wasn't the easiest task because of how small the apartment was but he managed.

Upon seeing what was in Louis' hands Niall grew excited. Finally, he would be able to communicate with the boys. He hoped that he wouldn't scare them away before he got to say anything of importance. He watches Harry and Louis bickering again.

"I'm not a baby, asshole. How do you not believe?"

Harry shrugs in response, "Because I'm not stupid."

"Oh, good one," Louis rolls his eyes.

"It's the middle of the day Lou," Liam diverts the younger boy's attention from Harry, "Isn't this sort of thing supposed to be done at night?"

"No, that's a common misconception. Now shut up and close the curtains, it needs to be dark," Louis motions for Harry to close the curtains as he sits down on the ground, opening the box and taking out the board.

Harry looks at Liam sternly, "I'm not doing shit. I'm not participating."

Louis throws his head back and sighs before facing Harry, "Harry seriously. Fucking come on mate."

"What?" Harry places the notebook down next to him and leans forward, "This is a stupid game that little kids play at sleepovers and ghosts aren't real."

Louis looks at Liam helplessly and Liam can't help but feel bad for the boy.

"Harry, come on," Liam says gently, walking past where he is seated on the couch and over to the curtains, pulling them shut. The room darkens immensely.

Harry shuts his eyes. He really didn't want to waste his time doing something as stupid as this. He knows that there is nothing in here. He knows that this isn't going to work, so why bother?

Liam nudges Harry's shoulder as he makes his way back over to Louis, encouraging the curly haired lad to move over to the circle with him. Louis had already set up the board and planchette, now he was just waiting for his friends to join him.

Harry reluctantly moves over to the circle with his friends. He would entertain Louis just this one time.

"If this doesn't work I better not hear one more word about this shit," Harry grumbles, crossing his long legs in front of him.

"Hopefully you get possessed Haz," Louis grins at his mate, "Literally anyone else would be a ray of sunshine compared to you."

"I won't because this shit's not real."

"Whatever," Louis says and places his hands on the planchette, encouraging his friends to do the same. Liam cautiously does so and then him and Louis are looking at Harry, waiting for him to do the same.

Harry sighs and follows the other two, adding his hands to the piece. Louis guides the planchette in a circle, warming up.

Louis shuts his eyes, "This session will only allow an experience that is positive or toward a higher good. Negative energies are not welcome."

Harry forces himself to hold in his snort.

Niall watches the three curiously, not knowing what to do. He only had a vague idea of how Oujia boards worked. He would have never allowed himself to use one before. Will he even be able to move the piece to tell them what he needs to tell them? He prays that they ask the right questions as he sits in the open spot on the floor.

"Okay," Louis opens his eyes, "We'll start with something easy. Is there a spirit here?"

Harry rolls his eyes. He is already bored of this and they haven't even started yet. He curses himself for not picking up an extra shift today at the record store.

Cautiously, Niall places his hands on the piece that the other three boys are holding. He hears Louis gasp and Liam shifts uncomfortably at the cold air swirling around the piece. Harry's eyes widen slightly but he tries to remain impassive, telling himself that this isn't real.

Niall slowly moves the piece to where the word 'yes' is written in all capital letters.

"Oh my God," Louis breathes, "I fucking told you."

"Fuck off, you're pushing it," Harry responds.

"Am not," Louis replies. Before Harry can counter the older boy is already asking another question.

"Do you have a name?"

"Of course it probably has a name, dipshit."

Niall moves the piece in a circle around the 'yes'.

"What is your name?" Liam asks softly.

Niall starts to move the piece to each letter of his name.

"N–I–A–L–L," Liam spells out, watching the board, "Hi Niall."

Niall spells out 'hello' as a response.

"I'm Louis, and this is Liam and Harry," Louis speaks.

Harry has been silent the whole time. He tries his best not to believe what is going on before his eyes. The way this has been going makes him want to not play even more than before.

"Louis, stop it," he says, pulling his hands from the piece. They begin to warm up immediately, "Where did you come up with this shit anyway?"

"What are you talking about?" Louis asks, fingers not leaving the planchette.

"I mean," Harry starts as he stands from the circle, "That you probably went home last night and thought up a name and story of this supposed 'ghost' just to try scare Liam and get me to believe. It's not funny."

Louis shakes his head, "I did not do that. Ask him anything you want, you'll see."

Niall furrows his brows at Harry. Why is he always so grumpy and rude? He removes his fingers from the piece as well and sits back.

"Great," Louis glares up at Harry, "You scared him off."

"Yeah, I scared the nonexistent ghost off," Harry scoffs and crosses his arms.

"Why are you such an asshole?" Louis asks, dragging the planchette to the word 'goodbye' and closing the game.

"Just because I'm a realist doesn't make me an asshole."

Yeah but you kind of do act like an ass, Niall thinks to himself as he watches the pair.

While Harry and Louis verbally abuse each other once again, Liam has taken it upon himself to take his phone out of his pocket and research Niall's name and the apartment complex.

The results immediately make his stomach drop.

He clicks on the first article that reads, 'Young Man Murdered in Apartment while Home Alone.' At the top of the article is a picture of a boy with black hair, head bowed and sitting on the sidewalk outside with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He scrolls lower and begins to read about Niall's horrible death that happened mere weeks ago.

"Uh, guys?" Liam says, halfway through the article.

The other three can hear just how disturbed Liam's voice is and it cuts off their fighting. They look to Liam who has wide eyes and is reading something on his phone.

"What?" Louis asks hesitantly.

"Niall was real," he looks up at Harry and Louis, "And he was murdered here."


	8. Z is for Zen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Um...we think Niall is living as a spirit in our apartment," Liam speaks, nervous as to how Zayn is going to react.

"What? Murdered?" Louis chokes out. This wasn't what he was expecting to come out of Liam's mouth.

"Yeah," Liam replies absentmindedly, focusing on finishing reading the article.

Niall knew that he was dead, and he knew that someone had killed him. From the spot he had seen on his forehead in the mirror he figured he knew what had happened. He wasn't quite sure if he was ready to hear the story come out of someone else's mouth. A part of him was still hoping that this was some crazy dream he seemed to be stuck in.

"Does it say how?" Louis asks quietly, in shock that all of his suspicions were true.

"No, it didn't go that much into detail," Liam explained, "His name was Niall Horan, 23 year old recently graduated from Uni and he was home alone. Apparently his roommate came home from the grocery store and found him dead."

Niall's heart dropped. Zayn had been the one to find him? He felt awful for his friend. He couldn't even imagine how that would have affected Zayn, all he knows is that if the roles were reversed, he would be completely broken, finding his best mate dead on the floor of their shared apartment.

He wished there was a way that he could get into contact with Zayn and tell him that he was okay. Well, as okay as a ghost could be.

He wanted to tell them to find Zayn and bring the boy here to see him. Zayn had always been someone Niall could go to for comfort. God, he missed Zayn. He wanted to give him a long hug and cuddle up on the couch with him. He wanted to hear his deep voice, maybe even tell him that he thinks that Zayn should be friends with the boys in the apartment. They could all go out together and have fun, Niall would like that.

He even wants to tell Zayn that he has a crush on Harry. He could imagine how loud Zayn would laugh when he tells him about almost walking in on Harry in the shower. He could imagine Zayn's understanding face if he told him that he had walked through Louis and scared the boy half to death.

"Damn," Louis breathes out before breaking out in a grin, "So I was right."

"I guess so," Liam says, a grim look on his face as he puts his phone back into his pocket.

Harry rolls his eyes, "I'm still not buying it."

Louis and Niall both glare at Harry. How could he not believe it? There was now evidence supporting Louis' theory. Harry had felt it himself but was trying to play it off.

"How could you not? Were you even present for what just happened?" Louis asked exasperated.

Harry's arrogance pissed Niall off. If he could possess Harry and make him hit himself in the face he would. Instead he crossed his arms and glared at him, focusing all of his energy to try and move something.

Harry's notebook flew off of the couch and hit the wall by the TV. All three boys jumped in shock.

"I think you just pissed him the fuck off," Louis said, staring with wide eyes at the notebook laying on the ground.

Liam's mouth was open in shock and fear. He did not want to be here right now. What if it wasn't even this Niall guy? What if they had just welcomed a demon or something into their apartment.

Harry gulped hard. He was at a loss for words. His brain couldn't think of anything logical to convince himself that this was in fact not a ghost.

Niall watched the boys' reactions. He had gotten what he wanted, but he immediately felt guilty because there was no way that they were going to help him if he scared them too badly. He didn't want the boys to move out and leave him with some new boring tenants...or worse, girls.

"You should probably apologize," Liam muttered quietly, not being able to think of anything else to calm the spirit.

"I–uh. I'm sorry?" Harry said questioningly, looking at nothing in particular.

The thunderstruck look on his face had Niall cooing. He thought Harry looked so dashing in this moment with his lips parted and his lovely green eyes open wide. Harry ran a hand nervously through his long curly hair and the sight almost had Niall groaning.

"Um, let's go get some dinner, yeah? Leave the spirit alone to calm down?" Liam suggested, trying to play off how badly he didn't want to be in the apartment.

Louis scrambled to his feet, "Yeah, let's go."

Harry followed the two boys closely, almost pushing past them in his haste to get out of his home.

Niall's smile dropped as he watched the terrified boys retreat, and hearing the lock click behind them.

__________

Liam was reluctant to return to the apartment with Harry later that night, but Harry was pretending like nothing ever happened earlier in the day. It was better that way.

When asked if Harry was scared to go back to the apartment for the night he responded with, "What? You think a ghost is going to hurt us? It's going to take a lot more than some flimsy notebook to do that."

Liam had no response for the boy.

Niall heard their approaching voices in the hall and quickly raced to the coat closet by door, his hiding spot for the night.

Even though Niall had already talked to the boys and they now seemed to believe that he was also sharing their apartment (well, at least Liam and Louis believed), Niall was still scared to show them that he turned back into human form at night.

Maybe he was scared because of Harry's reaction to finding out that he was there in the first place. He didn't seem like he believed at all, which annoyed Niall. What else would he have to do to make Harry believe? Possess him?

Niall blushed at the thought, or he would've if he could. The thought of him being inside of the tall lad was something that he's sure would make his heart race.

Okay, not inside like that inside. Besides, Niall could tell that Harry was clearly a top. If he actually were into men at all. He really didn't know.

He let Harry occupy his thoughts while he sat in the cramped closet, shoes poking into his back as he waited for the pair to go to sleep.

_____________

"Remind me why we are doing this again?" Harry asks, kicking a lone rock as he follows Louis and Liam into the entrance of the cemetery.

Liam had the bright idea to go visit Niall's grave. Louis thought that it was a great idea, hoping that maybe it would give the spirit some peace of mind or somehow release his spirit into the afterlife or some crap that Harry hadn't been listening to. Harry thought this whole idea was a load of bollocks but he was of course forced to go along with his friends.

"It's the respectful thing to do," Liam responded, clutching the white flowers in his hand a little tighter as an uneasy feeling overcame him.

"We should really bring the ouija board here and play sometime," Louis said absentmindedly, looking around at the seemingly eerie graveyard, even though it was broad daylight.

"I think we have enough ghosts on our hands," Liam said, "Plus, isnt rule number one of playing with a ouija board like, don't play in a cemetery?"

"That doesn't mean people haven't done it Liam," Louis replies smartly. He knew his shit about the afterlife.

"It's bad enough that you left the stupid thing at our place last night," Harry added.

Louis smirks over at his tall friend, "Why? Thought you weren't scared Haz?"

"I'm not," Harry mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Louis hummed, not believing his mate.

"I think it's this way," Liam says, walking to where he thought the boy was buried.

________

"Hey Niall, it's been awhile now. A few weeks since you...well, you know," Zayn gestures to Niall's headstone before continuing, "I miss you so much Niall. You didn't deserve this. It should've been me. I know you're disagreeing with me right now but it's true, it shouldn't have been you."

Zayn sits in his usual spot in front of Niall's headstone. He comes to visit Niall every single day like it's his new religion.

"I wish there was something new going on with me but I don't get out very much," Zayn plays with the hem of his–no, Niall's shirt.

Since Zayn had inherited Niall's things after he had passed, he had taken to wearing Niall's shirts everyday because they smelled like him and to have the reminder of Niall with him always.

Zayn hadn't been doing much else besides lying in his bed, listening to sad music, and thinking about Niall. It's been a few weeks, but Zayn didn't have it in him to go get a job and resume his normal life again, because it wasn't normal.

"Nothing is the same without you Ni," he whispers, swiping a tear from his cheek.

He picks a blade of grass and runs it through his fingers.

"I know you would be telling me to get my lazy arse up and out of the house," he gives a small chuckle, "It's like you gave me the push to go out and be myself. I can't imagine life without you but yet here we are," he trails off.

He doesn't have much else to say to his friend. Zayn was always the quieter of the two, letting Niall lead most conversations. But now it was all him, all of the time.

Zayn jumps when someone clears their throat behind him. He looks up from his spot and sees three boys.

They all have brown hair, but different eye colors and he can tell that their eyes are filled with pity and sadness. The bulkiest one is holding flowers and the tallest one looks like he'd rather be elsewhere.

"Oh," Zayn says, standing and brushing the loose grass off of his pants, "You guys know Niall?"

"Erm," Liam scratches the back of his head, "Kind of."

Zayn's brows furrowed. Maybe Niall had known them from high school?

"I didn't see you at the funeral," Zayn commented, although he didn't look at anyone at the funeral anyways, there were too many tears in his eyes.

"We're new friends," Louis responds and Liam elbows him in the side.

"What?"

"Who are you?" Louis asks, eyeing the black haired boy up and down.

Zayn looks between the three boys. He has this weird feeling in his stomach and he thinks that he should probably leave. But he wanted to know how they knew Niall.

"I'm Zayn," he introduces himself.

Liam studies the boy in front of him. His dark hair and a strong jawline. Tattoos litter his arms and crawl up his neck. It clicks.

"Niall's roommate," he blurts. Everyone turns their gaze on him and he blushes.

Zayn shifts uneasily on his feet, "How did you know that?"

"I um...saw you in a picture of the article I read about him," Liam says quietly.

"Oh," Zayn drops his head.

They all stand in awkward silence for a moment before Zayn finally makes eye contact again, "I guess I'll leave you three to it then."

He gives one last look to Niall's headstone, saying his goodbye in his head before he begins to walk away from the three boys.

Louis and Liam look at each other, unknowing of what to say. Harry stares at the grass beneath his feet.

"Wait," Louis eventually calls. He cringes at how loud his voice sounds in the silent cemetery.

They wait for Zayn to come closer with a questioning look in his eyes. Louis and Liam's anxiety rises with each step he takes closer.

"Yeah?"

"Um...we think Niall is living as a spirit in our apartment," Liam speaks, nervous as to how Zayn is going to react.

Hearing this angers Zayn. Why are they talking about his best friend like that? He believes in ghosts but he thinks that these boys are just trying to mess with him.

Seeing Zayn's facial expression change quickly to irate, Louis quickly steps in, "Please. We can prove it."

Zayn crosses his arms, "How?"

"Ouija board. He spelled out his name for us the last time we played."

The onyx haired boy thinks about it for a minute. He was very guarded, not sure the boys in front of him were telling the truth or not, but if there was even a slim chance of Niall really being a spirit of course he would want to get into contact with him.

Liam can see that Zayn didn't know what to do with the information that Louis was giving him, "I think what Louis is trying to say," he shoots Louis a small smile, "Is that we'd like you to come over so that you could maybe contact Niall?"

Zayn scratches his head before giving in, "Yeah, sure."


	9. Something Only We Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wondered if these guys were just trying to mess with him, or maybe they were getting him to come over alone so they could torture him or something. He thought of a million ways that this day could go wrong, but he had to come because if there was a slim chance of being able to talk to Niall again, he would do almost anything.

Liam pulls open the door to reveal an anxious looking Zayn. Zayn hadn't been back to this apartment since the night Niall was murdered. Both boys parents had moved their things out because Zayn couldn't bring himself to even step inside the building anymore.

He was running a little late, about an hour before the sunset, because he wasn't even sure if he should come today. He had met the three boys on Wednesday and they had told him to come over Friday during the late afternoon because they had classes. The closer the day approached, the more anxious Zayn became.

He wondered if these guys were just trying to mess with him, or maybe they were getting him to come over alone so they could torture him or something. He thought of a million ways that this day could go wrong, but he had to come because if there was a slim chance of being able to talk to Niall again, he would do almost anything.

Liam welcomes the black haired boy inside and Zayn looks around the apartment. Zayn freezes when he looks at the floor where Niall had lain. The floor is spotless now. If he hadn't known what had happened in here, he would've never guessed. He can still see the image so clearly from that night that he has to squeeze his eyes shut and take a few calming breaths. Liam gives him a look of sympathy as Zayn steps inside.

He avoids the place on the floor where he had found Niall, and takes a look around. It's weird to think of how different it looks. All of their furniture is gone and replaced with newer looking things. He wonders which of the three is occupying his old room.

Niall had been waiting the past few days for Zayn. He had overheard the three talking about him and Niall became so excited that he accidentally pushed the remote off of the TV stand, effectively scaring the three boys once again.

Harry sits on the couch and looks up from his schoolbook when Zayn arrives, but he doesn't make any move to say hello. He's pissed to say the least. He's pissed at his friends for inviting Zayn over to try and 'contact' Niall. It was a stupid idea. There they were, giving Zayn false hope that his best friend was somehow still around. He felt like such a shitty person.

"Hello again," Zayn mutters, quickly raising his hand for an awkward wave.

Louis gives him a big smile, "Hey mate, how've you been?"

"Um...good," Zayn settles on this as an appropriate answer, "You?"

Niall was in a state of shock when Zayn had entered inside. He was a lot thinner now and there were dark purple bags beneath his hollow eyes. His sharp cheekbones were even more defined and it made Niall's stomach turn. He was so sad that his best friend had been treating himself like this.

After analyzing Zayn, Niall knew that tonight would be the night that he would try and tell the boys about his 'power.' If Zayn stayed long enough, he would voice his concerns.

"I'm pretty excited mate," Louis responds before getting down to business and setting up the ouija board.

After Liam asks Zayn if he'd like anything to drink or eat and Zayn declines politely, they join Louis on the floor by the board.

Liam and Louis look over to Harry who has now read the same exact sentence four times in a row. He can feel their gaze on him but he ignores it and pretends to be invested in what he's pretending to read.

"Harry, are you joining?" Liam asks.

"Eh, I'll sit this one out."

Louis rolls his eyes and leans over to whisper to Zayn, "He's a bit of a grump, but don't worry about it."

Harry hears his friend whispering to Zayn but he bites his lip. This kid has already been through enough, he doesn't need to see them fighting.

Zayn nods hesitantly and looks at Liam for help.

"Right, let's do this then," the boy tells Louis and Zayn, gesturing for Louis to do his thing.

The blinds are still shut from when they had played the other day, and Harry is forced to shut the light off so the room is dark with the exception of the candles Louis had brought for this time around. He had said something about it helping connect with the spirit better but Harry wasn't listening.

Niall sat in the same spot he had been in last time they tried to contact him. He watched Louis start the game and then he turned his gaze to intently watch his reaction as he too placed his fingers on the planchette.

Louis had asked the simple question if Niall was here again. They waited for a moment before the air surrounding their fingers turned ice cold. Immediately, every hair on Zayn's body stood at attention and he shivered. The planchette moved to the word 'yes' on the board and he looked between Liam and Louis with wide eyes.

"Niall?" Zayn asked, shocked. When the piece circled around the word 'yes' again he breathed out, "Oh my God."

Zayn had no idea how to feel about this. His whole body seemed paralyzed as thoughts raced through his head. Niall was a spirit. He could still see Zayn and talk to him. Zayn wished that he could also see Niall, and he deflated a little bit, reminded that spirit Niall meant that he was in fact dead.

Sure, it could've just been a spirit pretending to be Niall, he had watched enough scary movies to know that. He had to figure out if this was really his Niall.

"Ni," Zayn chokes, but he clears his throat and tries again, "Ni, tell me something that no one but you or I know."

Liam looks at Zayn confused but Louis answers for him as the planchette starts to move, "He's seeing if it's really him."

Hearing Zayn's question immediately brings a smile to Niall's face. He doesn't even have to think about this question, it's so easy.

They watched as the piece beneath their fingers began to spell out a word.

"E–D–I–B–L–E–S...edibles?" Louis reads out and his gaze sets on Zayn who's blushing like mad.

"It's him," is all Zayn supplies.

"Oh, come on. You have to tell us this story!"

"Eh, later," Zayn says, hoping that Louis will forget all about it.

Niall watches Louis berate his blushing and uncomfortable friend. It's amusing to say the least. Liam tries to get Louis to stop begging Zayn for the story of whatever had happened that day and focus on what was going on right now.

A familiar feeling starts to settle upon Niall. He quickly looks to the closed curtain and he can see the light from the window fading as each second passes by.

He quickly spells out 'S–T–A–Y' before climbing to his feet and phasing into Liam's room.

He hears Louis ask what he means by that and then Liam mentions that the cold feeling had disappeared. Niall gets as close to the floor as he can, so that when he is fully in 'human' form once more his body doesn't make a loud thumping when it hits the floor. He's practiced the best positions to be in while turning so that the boys wouldn't get suspicious.

When he knows he's in his night form he lies on the ground a little longer until the funny feeling fully disappears. It's never any better or worse each night when it happens. It still feels like TV static or the feeling of hitting your funny bone.

He's nervous. Nervous for Zayn to see him...for Harry to see him. He knew that Harry didn't really want anything to do with him and he knows that exposing himself now will only drive him further away.

Niall also didn't want to scare Liam or Louis away either. He's come to enjoy all of the boys banter and Louis sarcastic remarks that make Niall laugh so hard.

He sighs and stands up from the floor, taking a look into Liam's mirror and fixing the clothes that he spends eternity in now. He wonders if he smells. He pushes his hair down on his forehead and mentally thanks God that it covers the weird looking scar on his forehead. He didn't need anyone seeing that, especially Zayn.

"Here goes nothing," he mumbles to himself before he turns and reaches for the handle.

"Should we say goodbye?" Louis asks Liam after he tells them that he doesn't think Niall is playing anymore because the air returned to normal.

"But he said stay," Zayn responds, also unsure of what it meant.

"So we stay," Louis decides, leaving his fingers on the planchette.

Harry wants so badly to leave the room. He's uneasy because they seem to have made contact with Niall again, but he stays put on the couch because he doesn't want to seem rude.

They hear the doorknob turning and they all look at Liam's door in shock. No one says anything, in fact, they're all pretty much sure they've stopped breathing at this point.

The door opens and Niall steps out, looking at no one, eyes downcast to the floor. He takes a step out and he's playing with his hands nervously.

"Who is that Li?" Harry questions, hoping that he doesn't sound as scared as he is. Hopefully Liam just has a boyfriend that he snuck in before Zayn had gotten here.

Zayn's eyes are glued to the boy who just entered the room. He cannot move. He doesn't believe his eyes. Niall is standing right before his eyes. His Niall.

"Um, hi," Niall waves his hand, similar to what Zayn had done when he had walked inside, "I'm Niall."


	10. Do My Eyes Deceive Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry rolled his eyes. How special could one kid be?

Zayn couldn't believe his eyes.

When he had heard the door open and the boy stepped out Zayn thought that his mind was playing tricks on him. The boy's hair looked awfully familiar and Zayn was sure he had seen those clothes before. His brain refused to connect that this boy was his Niall.

"Niall?" Zayn broke the silence after Niall had introduced himself. He still hadn't moved from his spot on the floor.

When the boy looked up timidly and his cerulean eyes stared straight into his own, it clicked.

Niall didn't say anything. He had never liked being the center of attention. He absolutely despised when people would sing to him on his birthday, and now was no different. Well, except for the fact that he's dead.

He couldn't quite read what Zayn was feeling and he refused to meet Harry's curious and scared gaze. He didn't say anything, he didn't know what to say. He could only imagine what it must feel like to be Zayn right now, not knowing what your dead best mate is doing standing right before your eyes.

The other three boys were beyond confused but no one wanted to say a word. They all sat in an almost uncomfortable silence and the three thought that they shouldn't be witnessing this interaction at all, but they all wanted to see what was going to happen.

Zayn stood up shakily, eyes never leaving Niall's as he approached, afraid that this was some sort of trick or dream. He feared that if he even blinked, that Niall would disappear before his eyes.

Zayn stopped directly in front of Niall. He looked like the same old Niall. His blue eyes were a little more dull than normal and he was paler, if possible, but everything else was the same. Same ratty old t-shirt, and skinny jeans. Hair still half blond and half brunette. He was still him.

Zayn lifted a hand up to caress Niall's face but he stopped halfway, dropping his arm.

"I thought you were..." Zayn trailed off, getting choked up, "I found you right over there." He pointed to the spot by the door and all of the eyes in the room followed.

"You did?" Niall asked sadly, lowering his gaze to the floor.

He felt some of his hair fall into his eyes. He had wanted Zayn to reach out and touch him. He missed Zayn immensely and all he wanted was to fall into his arms and have a good cry.

"Yeah," Zayn breathed.

This time when he reached out he didn't hesitate. He lifted Niall's chin to look him in the eyes once more, not truly believing that his best friend was in fact, very much alive. Niall's skin was cold, but Zayn ignored the shivers that ran up his arm.

He let out a loud gasp after brushing Niall's hair back from his face and he was met with what seemed like a scar on Niall's forehead. He ran his thumb over it. That night flashed right before his eyes, Niall's dead body on the floor, blood pouring from the wound.

"Zayn?" Niall asked worriedly, watching as his friend seemed to zone out, eyebrows furrowing deeply.

Niall's voice snapped Zayn back to reality and he muttered, "Sorry." He kept his hand on the spot on his forehead. He could tell that Niall knew by the look in his younger friends eyes and Zayn was hurting all over again.

"Well, what is it?" Louis asked, not being able to contain himself any longer. He was very scared, but also very excited that he had been right the whole time.

He climbed to his feet, ignoring the daggers Liam was glaring at him and walked closer to Zayn and Niall. He stood a little bit behind Zayn, weary of Niall because he had walked through him a few days ago.

Liam and Harry exchanged glances but also moved closer to the three, their curiosity getting the better of them.

Niall started blushing when everyone's gazes landed on him once more, or he would've been. He hadn't felt the familiar rush of blood flood to his cheeks and he wasn't sure if he'd ever feel that again.

Niall shut his eyes as Zayn pushed his friends hair back so his forehead was exposed to everyone.

"What is it?" Louis asked what Harry was thinking. He held on to Zayn's shoulder and peered closer at the mark on Niall's head. Liam was partly sure he had figured out what had happened but he wanted his idea to be confirmed.

"He was shot," Zayn said, a soft look on his face as he stroked Niall's cheek with his other hand.

It hurt Zayn to say it, but it hurt worse for Niall to hear it. He had figured that something like that had happened to him, but hearing it being said out loud only made him feel worse. He pushed Zayn's hands off and walked a few steps away, back facing the other boys.

Niall wished that he could leave. He'd run right out this door and never stop. But he couldn't, so he stayed put.

Louis immediately felt bad for asking. He felt like he should apologize, so he cautiously stepped up to Niall and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Niall flinched at the contact and turned his head. He was surprised, he didn't think that Louis would be the one touching him. He was a freak after all.

"I'm sorry for asking," Louis said, and Niall could see the sincerity in his eyes.

He just shrugged in response.

"How is this even possible? How are you here right now?" Zayn asked next, not being able to wrap his head around the situation.

Niall was absolutely dreading this moment. He thinks that he should have spent the rest of his days hiding from the boys so that they never knew he was here. That would be so much easier than trying to explain what the hell he was now.

He was also upset about Zayn's reaction. He thought that his friend would be happy to see him and that he would get to hug Zayn tightly and they would act like everything was normal. He didn't expect Zayn to act so distant and scared.

Niall shrugged again and he seemed more interested in the floorboards than anything else.

"How about we all sit down and talk about this?" Liam asked, sending Niall a soothing glance, "Would you like some tea Niall?"

Niall looked at Liam. From what he knew, Liam was the kindest and most level-headed of the three boys. He had this aura that seemed very comforting. He was smiling softly at Niall, his big brown eyes inviting, and Niall felt like he could melt.

"Um, I don't know if I can drink or eat anything," Niall replied bashfully. He had wondered if he could eat and drink food still in human form, but he hadn't tried, too afraid that Harry or Liam were going to notice if any food were gone, "I haven't had an urge to eat since...you know."

Liam nodded in response, "Sorry."

"No, it's not your fault, "Niall rushed to console him, "I've just never tried."

"We can experiment later," Zayn spoke up, "I want to know what you are Niall."

"What I am?" Niall questioned, anger brewing. He wasn't different at all and he was mad that Zayn had been acting the way he has, treating him like there was something wrong with him, "I'm still me."

The four boys watched as the picture frames on the entertainment stand started to shake as Niall grew angry. They didn't know what was going to happen and they were slightly scared of the boy, so they needed to calm him down quickly.

"I think Zayn meant that he is wondering how you can still be here after he saw you dead," Liam suggested, taking a step closer with Niall, his hands raised in surrender, "I'm sure you're quite confused too Niall. Maybe if we talk about it we can all figure this out."

Niall tore his harsh gaze off of Zayn and to Liam. He was still mad, but hearing that Liam was willing to help him find some actual answers to what his life has become made Niall feel hopeful. The pictures stopped shaking and he gave Liam a small smile and nodded his head eagerly.

"Great," Liam clasped his hands together, "Zayn, come help me make some tea."

Zayn reluctantly left the room with Liam. He tried to make eye contact with Niall on the way out but the boy was looking anywhere but at him. He felt guilty for making Niall seem like he was something out of the ordinary, but that is exactly what the case was.

This left Niall, Louis, and Harry in the living room. Harry had yet to say a word. He wasn't sure what to think about this. He hadn't thought that anything like this was even remotely possible, but here the boy was, standing in front of him, flesh and all.

Harry also hadn't said anything because he had spent most of the time that Niall had appeared staring at the boy. He definitely wasn't unattractive, quite the opposite actually. His hair looked as soft as a feather and his blue eyes were a deep blue. He decided that Niall would've been someone that he potentially would've dated.

But when he saw the mark on his head and was reminded once again that he was in fact dead, Harry forced all of those thoughts out of his head. The fact that Niall was some sort of paranormal scared him and disgusted him. He wouldn't want to be around an ogre or a troll if they were real, and he definitely didn't want to be around a damn ghost.

Uncomfortable with Harry and Louis gawking over him, Niall decided to take a seat on the couch, pulling a throw pillow onto his lap and holding it tightly.

"So, you're like an actual ghost?" Louis asked eagerly, flopping down on the sofa beside him. He kept a safe distance, which Niall was thankful for as well.

"I guess," Niall said, eyes glued to Harry as he walked around in front of them to take a seat on the floor. Nice arse.

"Shit man, that's cool."

"Yeah, super cool," Niall whispered sadly, giving him a weak smile and pulling the pillow closer to his chest.

Catching Niall's mood Harry finally spoke up, "Leave him alone Louis."

Louis rolled his eyes at his friend, "Why? It is cool," he tried to reassure the blond.

"It's not cool being fucking murdered," Harry spat at Louis which shut him up immediately.

The three sat in uncomfortable silence, Niall looking down at his sock clad feet. He could feel Louis' curious gaze on him and all of a sudden he really didn't care about what exactly had happened to him. Harry watched Louis like a hawk.

Niall was offered some tea by Liam when the pair had come back, but Niall refused politely. He wasn't sure that it would have the same comforting effect that it used to.

Zayn shoved his way in between Louis and Niall, hoping that this would somehow comfort the both of them during the talk that was about to happen. Liam perched on the coffee table across from them, tea clutched tightly in his hands.

Niall looked at Zayn wanting to get straight to the point. He was tired of this conversation already.

"What happened to me?"

"You don't know?" Louis asked, cutting Zayn off. Liam shook his head at him.

"I mean, yeah, I know I'm dead and stuff. And I kind of figured out what happened, but like, what was the timeline? What exactly happened? How long has it been?" Niall asked, looking over at Zayn with such innocence that Zayn didn't even want to answer.

Zayn sighed and took a sip of his tea. He wished that it was just Niall and him right now, but he felt like it would be rude to ask the other boys to leave, since they were the ones that found out about Niall and helped get them back together again.

"It happened on August 1st, and it's what, the 29th now, so it's been almost a month now?" Zayn starts.

Niall was shocked, time had passed quicker than he thought it did. He motioned for Zayn to continue.

The black haired boy shifted in his seat before speaking again. He didn't want to relive that day. He didn't want to tell Niall what he had seen that day because it frightened him and he didn't want Niall to be sad.

"I had gone to get some groceries and you stayed back because the Derby game was on that night. I'm not really sure what exactly happened while I was gone. I only know what the police told me," he looked over at Niall who was watching intently, "I was walking inside the complex when some guy wearing a trenchcoat and a black beanie ran into me. He wasn't dressed like it was 75 degrees outside. I think that might've been the guy," Zayn says sadly, holding the cup of tea in his hands tighter, the hot cup burning his fingers a bit. He wished so many times that he could go back to that night and stop that man. It would've been too late no matter what.

"After my exchange with him, I got this weird feeling that something was wrong. I swear the elevator couldn't move any slower that day," he chuckled dryly, "I sprinted down the hall and I saw that the door had been busted open."

Zayn stopped talking then. His throat burned with emotion, his saliva becoming thick. He swallowed hard as tears sprung to his eyes.

"And?" Niall asked so quietly that he didn't think anyone had heard him.

"I called out your name but you didn't answer and when I stepped into the doorway I–"

Zayn choked out a sob then and Niall pulled his best mate in for a hug. Liam gently took the tea from Zayn's hand before he spilled it all over the two of them. Zayn clung to Niall. He wasn't scared of how cold the boy felt, he pressed his hot cheek against Niall's cold neck as he cried.

Niall felt for Zayn, he really did. He shut his eyes tight and held Zayn as close as he could, something neither of them thought was going to ever happen again. He wished that he could cry, or feel some sort of emotion, but the most he got was a dull feeling in his stomach and a throbbing pain in his head.

"I'm sorry Z, I'm so so sorry. If I had gone with you..." Niall trailed off, knowing that him speaking such things wasn't going to help the situation.

Harry sat on the floor, his tea long gone and his patience wearing thin. He didn't really care about what was going on. Niall wasn't real for God's sake, but he didn't like being excluded, so he stayed silent in his seat, watching as Zayn – who he had thought would have been a tough guy when he met him – clung to the innocent blond and cried like a baby.

"Fuck Ni," Zayn gasped, "He shot you in the fucking head. You were just lying in front of the door. There was so much blood. You had been so close to getting out and no one had called the cops. I knew already when I checked your pulse that there wouldn't be one. I still remember your eyes..."

Zayn shuddered whilst remembering Niall's dull eyes when he had found him. They were almost exactly like his eyes now, and the image would haunt him forever.

"Did they find him?" Louis asked quietly.

Zayn shook his head, "Yeah, took them about a week but they did."

"How's my family?" Niall dared to ask. He was afraid to know the answer.

"They were absolutely crushed," Zayn wiped his eyes and looked up into Niall's eyes, "So many people came to the funeral Ni. It was kind of amazing. You've touched so many lives in your short years on this planet."

Harry rolled his eyes. How special could one kid be?


	11. Always Watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But when I got up there was nothing left in the apartment. I thought you were playing a joke on me. You weren't here and I tried to leave, but I can't. It's like there's some invisible force trying to keep me inside the apartment."
> 
> Cue eye roll from Harry.

"How's my family?" Niall dared to ask. He was afraid to know the answer.

"They were absolutely crushed," Zayn wiped his eyes and looked up into Niall's eyes, "So many people came to the funeral Ni. It was kind of amazing. You've touched so many lives in your short years on this planet."

Harry rolled his eyes. How special could one kid be?

***

"Thanks," Niall replied bashfully. It flattered him that many people had been affected positively by him. He had always prided himself in being nice to others.

Zayn ruffled Niall's hair in return, "So? What about you?"

Niall scratched behind his ear, "Eh, well. I'm not really sure where to start."

"From the beginning please," Louis asked eagerly, giving Niall a goofy smile. He still wondered why Louis was so invested in him.

"I woke up right where you said you found me," Niall looked at Zayn, "My head hurt so badly and I didn't know why yet at the time. I just thought that we had gotten blacked out again."

Louis laughed.

"But when I got up there was nothing left in the apartment. I thought you were playing a joke on me. You weren't here and I tried to leave, but I can't. It's like there's some invisible force trying to keep me inside the apartment."

Cue eye roll from Harry.

"Then someone came to look at the place and I was so mad and terrified that I yelled at them. Of course, they didn't hear, but my energy must've made the door slam and it scared them off. I was trying to open the door to leave the room but my hand just kind of went through it. Then I learned that I couldn't see myself in the mirror...while in 'ghost' form at least." Niall used his fingers to signify the quotes around his "ghost form."

"I spent that whole first day just walking through the walls into the different rooms of the apartment. When the sun sets I get this feeling...it's hard to describe but my whole body tingles and I become human. I realized after I ran into the counter and as soon as I figured it out I ran into the bathroom and I saw this," Niall says, pointing to his forehead, "I figured it out pretty quickly after that."

When no one said anything Niall continued, "It was boring as fuck, but then you guys moved in," Niall smiled fondly at Louis and Liam, once again avoiding Harry's gaze, "I tried to find different places to hide so that when I changed you guys wouldn't find me. I tried the closet but when you were starting to move things in Louis my claustrophobia struck and I became uncomfortable and I kind of phased through you. I'm sorry about that by the way," he said awkwardly.

"It was so weird. I thought I was going to be possessed," Louis exclaimed, "Can you do that?"

"I have no idea actually. Not sure I'd like to try though," Niall admitted, thinking that the action would be very intruding to someone's body.

The four boys shuddered at the thought of being possessed. From what the movie portrayed, it didn't look very fun.

"You pushed the papers off the counter?" Louis asks.

"Yeah."

Niall doesn't want to get into talking about all of the things he's knocked over or moved because of the embarrassing moment with Harry in the bathroom. He prays that Harry doesn't put the piece together.

"And was that you who knocked the box over in my room?" Liam follows up.

"It was," Niall confesses, "I was in a rush to find somewhere to hide because something had distracted me that day," Niall's glad that he can't blush.

"I turned right when I went into your room and fell on the floor, causing the loud noise so I made it look like the box had fallen over."

"Smart," Zayn commented.

"I waited until you fell asleep and watched TV. I do that most nights actually," Niall tells them with a sheepish smile.

"And the peach?"

"That was also me."

"See, I told you Liam!"

Liam rolls his eyes, "Whatever Lou."

"And we know the notebook was you."

"Yup," Niall replied, glancing at Harry who was concentrating on the floor in front of his spread out legs. He looked to be thinking hard about something. Niall just hoped that it wasn't about the bathroom fiasco.

But of course, that's exactly what Harry had been thinking about. The pieces had slowly been coming together in his mind. If Niall could walk through walls, then he could've walked into the bathroom, and if he could move things, that means that he–

That means he's always watching.

Harry's eyes snapped up to Niall's, wide and accusing. Niall had already been looking at him. Harry noticed that he looked nervous, which only confirmed Harry's thoughts.

He was appalled. How could Niall invade his personal space like that? Well, of course he can, he's a damn ghost, he thought to himself. He wonders what else Niall had been doing or what he had seen. Harry all of a sudden felt very uncomfortable in his own home.

He stood abruptly from his spot, breaking eye contact with Niall and turned to rush into his room.

"Where are you going mate?" Liam asked, wondering about Harry's sudden change in attitude.

"Bed," Harry said sharply, in no mood to talk. He quickly entered his room and shut the door behind him, locking it. There's no point anyway, he'll just walk right on through.

"We didn't even eat dinner yet," Louis commented on Harry's weird behavior.

"Maybe he has an assignment due tonight or something," Liam responds with a shrug.

"Maybe," Louis says.

Niall bites his lip, looking at Harry's closed door. He doesn't know how he's ever going to recover from this one. Harry already seems to dislike him, but now he's sure that the curly haired boy doesn't want anything to do with him.

"You okay?" Zayn whispers, nudging Niall.

"What? Yeah," he says and rests his head on Zayn's shoulder.

"Well," Louis clasps his hands together, "I reckon we order some food."

Liam and Zayn agree and Liam goes to the kitchen to find the take out menus. He comes back quickly and they sort through the different places, deciding on what to eat.

"What do you think Niall?" Louis asks with a smile, "Chinese, pizza, burgers and fries?"

"I don't know," Niall shrugs, "I don't know if I can eat."

"Well if you can, would you rather your first bite since be Chinese, Indian, or Italian?"

Niall smiles at Louis. He's thankful that they are trying to include him and make him feel welcome. They very well could have freaked out and demanded out of their lease, which is what he's sure Harry is planning to do right now, but instead they are proving just how nice they can be.

"Pizza," Niall grins.

While Liam orders the pizza, Harry storms out of the apartment, headphones in his ears blasting music so loud that all four other boys can hear it. Niall flinches when the door slams shut behind him.

Harry notices how close Zayn and Niall are sitting but he doesn't let his mind dwell on it. He kind of hates the fact that the stupid ghost boy is sitting on his couch.

"Don't worry about him, he'll come around," Liam says after hanging up the phone.

Louis rolls his eyes, "No he won't. One, he's an arse; two, he doesn't even believe in ghosts and we've just proved that wrong; three, Harry hates being wrong."

"He does seem a little moody," Zayn says, low enough for only Niall to hear.

Niall snorts, "Coming from the king of being moody."

"Hey," Zayn whines, "Am not."

"Whatever you say, my king."

"You brat," Zayn says, pulling Niall under his arm and rubbing his fist against Niall's hair.

Niall's sad that he doesn't feel the normal burning sensation that he would on his head. Everything seems much less of a feeling now. A barely there sensation that he feels.

He plays it off like he can actually feel it. He laughs and begs Zayn to stop like he normally would and eventually the older lad does, but he keeps Niall tucked under his arm and places a sloppy kiss on the blond's cheek.

"Gross," Niall comments, wiping the saliva from his face.

"You used to love my kisses," Zayn feigns hurt.

"Still do."

"So are you guys dating? Or were you dating?" Louis blushes, "Sorry, I just don't really know how to ask you things."

"It's okay," Niall laughs, "But no, we aren't dating."

"You know, at one point I thought we actually were dating?" Zayn muses, scratching lightly at Niall's head.

"Really?" Niall turns to look at Zayn, shocked at what he had just heard.

Zayn nods, confirming that what he had heard was correct.

"I'm sorry I gave you that impression Z," Niall nudges Zayn, "You're attractive and all, but you're not really my type."

"What is your type?" Louis asks curiously.

"Why, are you interested?" Niall flashes him a grin.

Louis' tan skin burns red with a blush, "N–no," he stutters, "I'm just curious."

He, in fact, was interested, but not so much in Niall. Ever since they had met Zayn at the cemetery, he had thought was some sort of Greek God, walking around the Earth. A part of the reason he had wanted Zayn to know about Niall so badly was because he had wanted to see more of the onyx haired man.

He knew that they probably shouldn't have been getting Zayn's hopes up that there was still a part of his best friend on this Earth, but he did it for selfish reasons. He was now glad that everything seemed to work out...for now.

"Niall's type is tall, well-built, and gives off major daddy vibes," Zayn answers and laughs hard when Niall elbows him in the ribs.

You give off major daddy vibes, Mr. Malik, Louis thinks.

"Ow," Zayn wheezes through his laughs, "I'm just kidding." Not.

"Piss off Zayn," Niall groans. I like men who have curly brown hair and dazzling green eyes and who seem to hate the world...and me. I like Harry Styles.


	12. Home Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Maybe we can do something about it," Harry mumbles and crosses his arms across his chest.
> 
> "You're on your own for that one," Liam states, "I for one, like Niall. And so does Lou."
> 
> Harry rolls his eyes, "Yeah, you and Louis seem to be sucking his ghost dick for some reason."

"You can't be serious," Liam frowns at Harry.

"Liam," Harry glares at his roommate, "Lower your fucking voice."

In response, the older boy rolls his eyes and resumes cutting up the watermelon for his fruit salad. He tries to ignore Harry's reaction to him telling him that he's staying the night with his girlfriend.

"I don't get what the big deal is, he's nice."

Harry groans and puts his head on the counter. He doesn't want to spend the night in the apartment alone with Niall. He had been uncomfortable and weary ever since they had discovered that Niall was in fact a real(ish) person. He had thought about the fact that Niall could see anything and everything that he was doing, and now he would rather be anywhere else besides his own home.

Although he could spend the night in his room working on homework, but he had seen enough of his room the past three days. He couldn't take it anymore.

All he wanted to do was relax and binge eat junk food with a good film playing in the background, not worrying about a certain blond haired ghost creeping around.

"That's not the point," Harry sighed, "It's weird."

"What is?" Liam asks, popping a piece of watermelon in his mouth and offering some to Harry.

Harry waves it away with a frown. He doesn't know why Liam's making him say this out loud, he should know exactly what he was talking about. When Niall was a ghost, they had no way of telling where the lad was in the apartment, and Harry was worried that he was hanging around, listening to their conversation.

Liam doesn't react to the begging look that he's giving him. He knows exactly what he's trying to tell him, but Harry needs to accept the fact that they have a new roommate, no matter how strange the situation seems.

He's hoping that Niall is somewhere around listening. Not because he wants to hurt the lads' feelings, but he deserves a chance to hear Harry and when they are alone later, hopefully they'll be forced to interact with each other and become more comfortable around each other.

"It's weird that he could always be watching us," Harry finally responds, a blush of embarrassment creeping up on his face when he recalls that Niall might've seen him nude.

"You've got to accept who he is."

Harry rolls his eyes. Liam makes everything sound so goddamned easy.

"You aren't worried that he probably watches you while you're in the bathroom, or changing, or sleeping?"

Niall's upset. He of course wasn't trying to make anyone uncomfortable, it was obvious that he had made a big mistake when sneaking into the bathroom with Harry. He knew that Harry didn't care for him, but he doesn't go out of his way to do creepy things like watch them sleep or change. He had heard enough.

Both Liam and Harry jump when the bowl of fruit spills over, a few grapes rolling across the counter towards Harry. Liam quickly sets the bowl upright and grabs at the grapes, trying to catch them before they fall off the counter.

Liam glares at Harry, "Look what you've done. Why do you have to be such a prick all of the time?"

"You're the one that made me say it out loud," Harry hisses back. The stool screeches against the floor as Harry pushes himself away from the counter and stands, "You dick."

"The quicker you learn to treat Niall like you'd treat anyone else, the better everything will be for everyone."

"It makes me uncomfortable that he's here. The whole thing is crazy!"

"It's crazy, but it's real. We can't do anything about it, so seriously, play nice," Liam says sternly.

"Maybe we can do something about it," Harry mumbles and crosses his arms across his chest.

"You're on your own for that one," Liam states, "I for one, like Niall. And so does Lou."

Harry rolls his eyes, "Yeah, you and Louis seem to be sucking his ghost dick for some reason."

"Look Harry," Liam sighs. He's tired of the way that Harry treats people. He's been acting rude towards almost everyone since the last time they were home and he thinks that it's time for Harry's attitude to change, no matter what happened in the past, "What happened between you and Lou was so long ago and you've literally been treating everyone like shit since. We're all sick of it. Maybe you should get your head out of your fucking ass, put some big boy pants on, and change your fucking attitude."

Liam is panting by the time his rant is over and his face is burning with anger. Harry's never seen Liam so angry and he's scared.

Instead of saying anything in response, Harry turns and walks into his room, making sure to slam the door shut behind him. He falls onto his bed and grabs his headphones, plugging them into his phone before blasting some music and shutting his eyes tight.

_________

Harry's awakened from his nap by a text from Liam. He sits up on his bed and rubs his eyes, sighing before opening the message.

From: Li

Hey Haz, I'm sorry for earlier. I wanted to apologize in person but I saw that you were sleeping and didn't want to disturb you. I've let Niall know that he can stay in my room for the night. Please give Niall a chance, he didn't ask for this. Have a heart. If you feel too uncomfortable invite Louis or Zayn to join you both, I'm sure Niall would appreciate it. I'll see you tomorrow.

Harry rolls his eyes and locks his phone, not bothering to respond to Liam's message.

He instead gets up from his bed and makes his way to his door. He pulls the headphones from his ears and disconnects them from his phone, leaving them on his dresser and he peeks out into the living room.

He already knows that Niall is in Liam's room but Harry decided to check anyway.

Thankfully, the blond is nowhere in sight, so Harry crosses through the living room and into the kitchen and begins looking through the refrigerator to decide what to cook himself for dinner. He notices some thawed chicken breasts and decides to make chicken parmesan.

While he prepares the chicken and sets the water to a boil on the stovetop, his mind wanders off towards the boy he's ignoring in the other room.

He takes Liam's words into consideration. If he were in Niall's position, he would feel trapped and angry too. He shouldn't blame the blond, and he knows his words hurt, which is why he didn't want to say them out loud in the first place.

He didn't want to hurt Niall's feelings. He wasn't quite sure what the boy was capable of. They knew that he could move things sometimes and he did pass through Louis once. Could he actually possess someone? Harry wasn't trying to find out.

Maybe talking to him will make me feel a little less uneasy about the whole thing, Harry tries to convince himself as he places the chicken in the oven.

He quickly crosses the room to Liam's door before he can talk himself out of it. He listens for a moment and hears soft singing from the other side of the door. He doesn't recognize the song but he decides that Niall has the voice of an angel.

He ends up pressing his ear against the door to hear the best that he could. Harry seems to be in a trance at the sound of Niall's voice.

When the song is finished he snaps back to reality and figures that this is probably what Niall feels like during the day, like standing on the other side of the door to someone's life.

Harry knocks softly on the door as Niall starts to sing another song, "Niall?"

He hears the room go silent and there's no answer. He waits for a minute or two, each second passing by slower than the next. He doesn't blame Niall for not wanting to be around him. The feeling is probably mutual now.

Harry knocks again, "I'm coming in," he announces and turns the knob, smiling a little when he notices that it's not locked.

On the other side of the door, Niall curses himself for not locking the damned thing. He hears it start to open but doesn't move from his spot where he's sprawled out on top of Liam's made bed, staring up at the ceiling and singing quietly to himself. He thinks that he's disturbed Harry with his singing and now he's probably going to get an earful from the boy.

Harry opens the door and leans against the frame, taking in Niall's lean body laying on his roommates bed. He had a petite frame and the skinny jeans he's stuck wearing forever show off his drool–worthy legs. His hair has fallen back due to him laying flat on the bed and the scar on his head is visible. Harry tries not to stare.

"Um, hey," Harry says lamely, becoming nervous all of a sudden. He looks down to the floor because the sentence he had prepared on the way over and all of the confidence he had built up had disappeared as soon as he had seen the blond laid out in front of him.

"Hey," Niall responds coldly, finally bringing his dull blue eyes to Harry's figure. He looks amazing as always, clad in baggy plaid pajama pants, thick socks, and a plain black shirt, showing off his necklaces and the bird tattoos that sit on his sharp collarbones. His gaze returns to the ceiling after briefly catching Harry's.

"I um, came to apologize," Harry shifts on his feet uncomfortably.

"It's okay, I get it."

Harry's face scrunches in confusion, he was not expecting Niall to yell or raise his voice at him, not be as calm as he is right now. He doesn't know which is more terrifying.

"What?"

"I would be uncomfortable too if our positions were reversed," Niall explains. He had had a long time to think about what had gone on between the two flatmates earlier and he wishes that he hadn't reacted the way that he did, surely only scaring the two more.

Harry's not quite sure what to say to that, but he wills himself to try, "It doesn't give me the right to be a douche."

Niall shrugs and looks Harry in the eyes, "I thought that was just your normal attitude."

Harry's mouth quirks up on the side for a moment. He kicks at a nonexistent dust bunny on the floor with his sock clad foot.

"Seems like it is these days," he admits softly to himself, suddenly feeling very guilty.

"I'm sorry," Niall says, sitting up on the bed, not liking the sad look on Harry's face, "For, well, you know. I didn't see anything I swear."

Harry's face reddens and he looks up quickly at Niall.

"Oh, um, yeah, thanks," he replies, flustered as the intense blue eyes bore into his.

"I heard you singing and it sounded so good I got a little distracted and wandered in," Niall admits, breaking their staring contest and he scratches at the back of his head nervously.

Harry gulps, "Consider it forgotten," he says with a small smile, "You're not too bad yourself."

"I didn't mean to disturb you," Niall says, ashamed that he had been singing loud enough for Harry to hear. He wasn't one to be shy singing or doing anything else in front of people really, but Harry really intimidated him.

"It's okay, at least you weren't naked," Harry tries to joke.

"Yeah."

After a few moments of silence, Harry tries again, "I just came to ask if you wanted some food? I'm making chicken parmesan with pasta. If you can eat, I guess."

"I can," Niall perks up a bit at the mention of food but deflates right away, "I just never seem to get full."

"Well, let's give it a try, yeah?"


	13. Me N Ur Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry shifted a little and the crick in his neck woke him up more than he would've liked. He groaned and opened his eyes, coming face to face with the blue eyed boy.
> 
> Niall froze, his eyes widened in fear, and he silently cursed himself because of course this would happen to him.
> 
> "I uh," Niall stuttered out, his mind reeling trying to think of an excuse, "The movie's over. I was just grabbing the remote."

Harry watched, amused, as Niall shoved another forkful of chicken into his mouth.

"This is so good," Niall moaned, around the big bite of food.

Harry chuckled but quickly tried to mask it as a cough. He didn't want to admit it, but Niall truly did seem like a person that he would get along great with. Plus, he was rather good looking.

A blush crept up Harry's cheeks at the thought and he averted his gaze from the blond boy to his plate in front of him, moving some pasta around with his fork. In a matter of minutes he had gone from being scared and uncomfortable around the boy to relaxed and actually having fun.

Niall had a personality that made anyone he met want to become friends with him. He was carefree and caring at the same time, it seemed. He was a joy to be around and his wide smile seemed to light up any room that he was in.

They had just sat down to dinner, and Niall doesn't think he's tried anything better than this dish right in front of him. He was so thankful that Harry invited him out here.

When he and the boys had ordered food the other night, after getting over the initial surprise and shock that he could in fact eat (he didn't really know where exactly the food went...after...because he never had to...you know), he realized that the food he ate seemed to be lacking something. It was still delicious of course, but just like everything else, it seemed a bit more boring.

But this, this was simply amazing.

He hadn't quite been sure what it was going to taste like, he figured bland and flat like the pizza had been, but he was surprised when he bit into the juicy chicken and it burst with flavor he immediately perked up, quickly taking another forkful into his mouth.

"Yeah?" Harry asked, the corner of his mouth curving up into a smirk as he looked back over at Niall, who had a dollop of sauce on the corner of his mouth, "I can tell that you like it," he gestured to the spot on Niall's face and watched as his cheeks tinted a soft shade of pink that could barely be seen.

Niall sheepishly wiped at his face with his napkin and stared at his plate, hyperaware that he had looked like an idiot in front of Harry. He chewed on his lip, not daring to pick up his fork to resume eating in fear that he would embarrass himself again.

"It's better than I thought it'd be," Niall breaks the awkward silence, still not daring to look at Harry.

Harry pretends to be hurt, "Didn't take me for a chef then?"

"No," Niall says quickly, shaking his head at himself, "I just thought it'd be bland like the pizza was. Nothing tastes the same, but this tastes good."

Now it was Harry's turn to blush. He was nervous now, he had forgotten that Niall was a ghost because of how normal he acted, but the reminder that he was made Harry uneasy, his appetite disappearing.

"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly, he wasn't sure of what else to say.

Niall shrugged, "Not your fault."

The pair sat in awkward silence then, both moving the food around on their plates uninterested in the food that seemed like it would be impossible to stop eating a few moments ago.

Harry made the first move, picking his plate up and setting it down next to the sink. He pulled a cabinet open, pulling out a few containers to put away the leftovers.

Niall silently watched the way Harry's back muscles moved as he dumped the contents of the pasta pot into a plastic container and disposed of the pot in the sink. He averted his eyes as Harry turned around.

"Want me to put that away for you?"

Niall looked up then, his blue eyes meeting Harry's green ones. He couldn't seem to read the taller lad, he had locked away his emotions once again.

"Sure," he responded, pushing his plate across the counter towards Harry who picked it up and placed the leftovers into their own plastic container.

When he was done he placed Niall's empty plate on top of his own by the sink and held up the container to the blond, "This one's yours," he said, showing off the green lid so that Niall would remember which one was his, "In case you get hungry."

Niall wanted to tell Harry that he was never really hungry, that it was just something that made him feel a bit more normal and not so freakish, but instead he offered a quiet thanks and nodded his head.

Now that the meal was over Harry wasn't quite sure what to do. It was still awkward, and Niall looked like a kicked puppy all of a sudden. He knew it was his fault, but he had never been good with cheering people up.

He could always go into his room and work on some upcoming assignments that were due, but that sounded less appealing than washing the dirty dishes, which he didn't want to do either.

He really wanted to watch a film, but he didn't want it to be so forced. He wanted to relax for a minute, he was tired of feeling on edge in his own home. He didn't really want Niall there anymore.

Niall seemed to sense this and quickly stood up from his spot, startling Harry.

"Sorry," he said quickly and turned to walk towards Liam's room once more.

"Niall wait," Harry sighed. He didn't move from his spot in the kitchen but he waited for the blond to turn around. He didn't want to hang out with him anymore but he would force himself to, knowing that he'd get an earful from Liam if he didn't at least try.

"Do you want to watch a film?" He asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"It's okay, Liam said I could use his computer to watch one–"

"No, I want you to watch one with me," Harry said, not exactly meaning it. He didn't think of Niall as bad company, but with their history so far, he would rather be watching one by himself.

"Are you sure? I don't mind if you want to be alone," Niall said, staring at his sock clad feet.

"I'm sure," Harry walked into the living room to join Niall, "Come on. Have a seat."

Niall and Harry sat as far away from each other as possible, the both of them regretting this decision immensely.

Niall would have preferred to be in Liam's room, surfing the internet to find out the new things going on in the world. He also wanted to check in on his family secretly through social media to see how they were doing. He missed his family dearly.

He also knew that Harry would rather be elsewhere but he understood that Harry was probably only being nice to him for the sake of Liam. He knows; he'd talked to him before he went off to his girlfriends place for the night.

Niall didn't understand why Harry had such a problem with him being there. Liam and Louis seemed to treat him as one of their own friends and he had appreciated that immensely. He was so thankful that they had found Zayn for him. It was comforting to know that he still had some sort of his past with him.

Niall slumps back into the couch. He wishes that he had a way to contact Zayn right now. He's sure that Liam wouldn't mind if they hung out. He wonders what his best friend was up too right now, if his life had finally fallen into a normal routine or not. Everyone seemed to get on pretty well, except for Harry.

Harry was a mystery. He watched as the tall lad clicked through Netflix, searching for a movie for them to watch. From what Niall could see, Harry really liked rom-coms, which he found especially interesting because Harry was always so guarded and angry.

"Any preferences?" Harry asked, not even bothering to look over at Niall.

"No," Niall responded quietly, admiring how Harry's features looked in the soft glow of the TV.

Not caring if Niall judged him, Harry clicked on a movie that he had seen over a hundred times, The Notebook. It was his absolute favorite movie and he would never get tired of it.

He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and got comfortable, leaning away from Niall onto the armrest of the couch.

Both boys relaxed as the movie went on. Niall had seen this one, but had never been a fan of this genre of movies, always opting for something scary when he and Zayn had had movie nights. Funny, how his life now seemed like a scary movie.

Niall tried to focus on the movie the best he could but it was so damn boring.

He was much more interested in watching Harry's reactions to certain scenes. Harry watched the movie with a fond look on his face, he yearned to have a love like that. Well, not the part where he would be left for someone richer, but still, their love was so fun and pure.

About halfway through the movie Harry drifted off to sleep. Niall chewed on his lip, wanting so badly to change the movie, but he was afraid that Harry would wake up and be furious with him.

He forced himself to suffer through the rest of the movie and as soon as the credits started rolling he looked back over at Harry, sizing up the situation.

He spotted the remote control resting on the arm of the couch, inches from Harry's face. His breathing was even and deep, telling Niall that he was still in a peaceful sleep.

He looked so different asleep, Niall thought. Harry didn't have a scowl on his face and his body was relaxed instead of it's usual stiffness. He was a very attractive person when he slept.

Niall found himself unconsciously leaning closer to Harry, and he just wanted to reach out and push some strands of hair out of his face.

Harry shifted a little and the crick in his neck woke him up more than he would've liked. He groaned and opened his eyes, coming face to face with the blue eyed boy.

Niall froze, his eyes widened in fear, and he silently cursed himself because of course this would happen to him.

"I uh," Niall stuttered out, his mind reeling trying to think of an excuse, "The movie's over. I was just grabbing the remote."

Smooth.

"Right," Harry responded, his heart racing at their close proximity. He grabbed the remote beside him and sat up, eyes still locked on Niall's, "Here."

Niall swallowed and reached out to grab the controller from Harry. Their fingertips brushed and both boys pulled quickly away, looking anywhere but at each other.

Niall had immediately felt warmth where Harry's hands had touched his. It always shocked him, feeling the warmth of someone else and he couldn't get enough. He had never felt this way before, but since he'd become a ghost he had been lacking a lot of things, and warmth was one of them.

The touch had the opposite reaction on Harry. Niall felt cold, causing him to shiver and the goosebumps on his arm to rise. He rubbed at it, hoping that Niall hadn't noticed his reaction. He quickly got to his feet, mumbling about being tired and nearly running to his room.

He flung himself down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, letting out a deep sigh.

He fell back to sleep thinking about Niall's cold fingers on his.


	14. Speak to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He would very much like to kiss Harry, if it weren't for his repulsive attitude.

When Harry woke up the kitchen was clean.

He specifically remembered putting the dishes in the sink, but he hadn't been in the mood to clean them and since Liam wasn't home to lecture him about it, he thought he'd get to it in the morning when he woke up. Now, they were nowhere to be seen, set back in their places in the cupboards.

He reminds himself to thank Niall later because he doesn't want to speak it into thin air, that would just be plain weird. He adjusts his backpack on his shoulder before grabbing an apple from the bowl on the counter and turning towards the door.

Niall enters the living room when he hears Harry leave. He tries to keep to himself the best he can. When Liam or Harry are home or have guests over he always leaves the room, wanting to give them as much space as possible. He knows that Harry is weary of where he is during daylight hours, so this is his new routine.

Niall's mind wanders back to last night. There was no doubt that Niall wasn't attracted to Harry, he couldn't lie to himself, but his intention wasn't to kiss him yesterday night...he was just getting a better look at Harry when he wasn't so...defensive.

He would very much like to kiss Harry, if it weren't for his repulsive attitude. Niall had no idea how he could act so careless. Not to mention how rude he was to Louis, one of his best friends. He couldn't fathom treating Zayn like Harry did Louis.

Something significantly big must've happened for the two of them to act the way that they do to each other. Niall wondered what could have happened to make the two act so rude and seem so distant, but still be willing to try and be friends.

Maybe it was just a friendship of convenience for them, Niall wonders. Maybe they were neighbors and forced to be friends, or maybe they were obligated to be friends because they were both friends with Liam?

Liam doesn't seem to be the one to force people into uncomfortable positions though. Liam was very level headed, from what Niall had seen.

Once again, it had Niall wishing that he were a human. He would give anything to be able to go outside just one more time.

Niall had always enjoyed being outside. As a child, he would spend his time running around the block with all of the other kids living on his street. They would race between each other's yards, playing silly little kid games until the streetlights came on and their mother's called them home.

He had taken a liking to football at a young age as well, joining children's leagues and even trying out in high school. He loved every aspect of the game and he was good too. He hoped to get a scholarship to play at university until he tore his ACL during a nail-biting game against their biggest rivals, the Blue Falcons.

Niall sighs at the memory, rubbing his knee aimlessly. As excruciating as it was, he now craves any feeling, no matter how painful.

He kicks his feet, trying to distract himself with his thoughts.

He wishes that he could do more. During the day when everyone was gone Niall was the loneliest. The fact that he didn't have a physical body during the daylight hours meant that he couldn't turn on the tv, or change the channels of the tv, read, do research to see if there's a way for him to have a physical body, or find a way to move on into the afterlife.

He doesn't need sleep, so that's out.

He misses having a phone, going to the movies, hanging out with Zayn. Granted, he can still hang out with Zayn, but it just isn't the same anymore.

Nothing is.

Niall even misses the things that he used to hate. Like grocery shopping, traffic, and his seasonal allergies.

He mostly missed the bars.

He decides to ask Louis for assistance the next time he sees him, knowing that he would be the one most likely to help him find answers. He was, afterall, the only one to believe he was real for a while.

Louis was a great person to be around. He was sarcastic and witty most of the time, but he also had a really big heart and Niall could tell that the boy wanted to help him by any means possible. Louis made him feel welcome.

He loved the ideas that Louis came up with. At first, the older boy had been cautious to bring up his schemes to Niall, but once they had gotten to know each other a little bit, he had no shame in running his plans past the blond boy.

Like eating, for instance. Niall hadn't had to eat in so long, but Louis was the one to suggest he try it. He also had the idea to have Niall scare Harry multiple times, but the younger boy had always declined. He did not need Harry any more angry with him.

Louis had even surprised Niall with the idea that Niall could possess someone. They had talked over the topic thoroughly, but Niall had refused to actually go along with the idea. It wasn't like Louis was suggesting letting Niall possess him anyways.

"You could possess Harry," the older boy grinned, nudging Niall's shoulder.

Niall rolled his eyes in response, "Right, because he'd let that happen."

"I don't reckon he would have a choice," Louis shot back, "No one get's asked if they will let a demon possess their body. Not in the movies at least."

Niall scrunched his nose in distaste, "One, I'm not a demon. And two, Harry already hates me, why give him another reason?"

"See, that's the thing. If he hates you, he can't possibly hate you more if you were to possess him. Plus, I think it'd be funny as fuck. You could be your nice and charming self. It would be hilarious to see him like that again."

Niall bit his lip, wanting so badly to ask about the dynamic between the two of them, but eventually decided that it wasn't the right time. He certainly didn't know if there would be a right time.

He knows that Louis would help him with anything he asked, and he was grateful for that. He also knew that Louis wasn't afraid to tell him the truth, no matter how badly it hurt.

It haunted him daily, if there were some way for him to pass over. He didn't know if he would really be able to leave what he had here. Niall enjoyed the time he got to share with his new friends, even Harry. But this was no way to live.

The sound of the lock turning and the apartment door opening pulled him from his thoughts. Louis and Liam entered the apartment laughing and Niall perked up at the sight.

"Lunch?" Liam asked Louis as he let his backpack fall from his shoulder and onto the ground.

"Of course," Louis grinned back, kicking off his shoes and following Liam into the kitchen.

Louis pulled out the chair that Niall was resting on and the blond quickly moved, not wanting to startle Louis like he had the first time they met.

"Niall?"

Niall placed his hand over Louis' on the counter. He quickly pulled away once he saw the goosebumps arise on his arms and he shuddered.

"He's here," Louis confirmed to Liam with a smile.

Niall relaxed, glad that the pair seemed glad that he was there.

"I wish there was a way for us to communicate during the day," Louis said thoughtfully.

He chewed on his lip as Liam hummed in agreement, pulling out the makings for sandwiches from the fridge. Louis' smile brightened as he thought of an idea. He hoped off of the stool and raced to his backpack, pulling his laptop from the black bag and placing it on the counter. He pulled up the internet and his fingers slid quickly over the keys to search for what he was looking for.

Liam made his sandwich, glancing curiously over at his friend as he did. Louis' tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth, brows furrowed in concentration. Liam said nothing but proceeded to make a sandwich for Louis, not wanting to interrupt him.

"Aha," Louis finally exclaimed, a triumphant grin upon his face.

"What did you find?" Liam asked, eagerly awaiting his friend's findings. He took a bite of his sandwich and proceeded to clean up the rest of the contents.

"Check it out," Louis said and waited for Liam to finish cleaning up. He pulled the other plate closer to himself so that he could take a bite of the delicious sub.

Niall peered over both boys shoulders, moving for Liam to take the other 'unoccupied' chair next to Louis. He wasn't sure what they were looking at. It was some sort of small box with a screen and what seemed to be a speaker.

"What exactly am I looking at?" Liam voiced Niall's thoughts.

Louis sighed dramatically with a mouthful of food, causing a spec of mayonnaise to land on his screen. He wiped it away, grimacing as it left a smear across the screen.

"It's like this 'spirit box' thing where we can turn it on and Niall should be able to communicate with us through it."

Liam nods his head, impressed at Louis' paranormal knowledge. The boy really did watch too many movies and shows about the subject.

Niall smiled and there was a tug at his heart. It was barely there, but it was a good feeling, knowing that Louis cared about him this much.

"I'll order it now," Louis said, popping the next bite of sandwich into his mouth before he proceeded to the checkout.

He beamed triumphantly as the words 'Thank you for your order' popped up on the screen after he added his credentials. He closed the laptop and put his plate on top of it.

"That should do it," he pushed the laptop away and his plate closer to him, "I say we celebrate this win by partying tonight. Maybe we can pregame here and try to get Niall drunk."


	15. Fuck You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He's obviously psychotic! He's literally here hanging out with a fucking dead guy," Harry yells, making everyone jump, "How fucking pathetic."

"You guys seriously think that this is a good idea?" Harry questions, following Liam and Louis out of their apartment and down the narrow hallway.

"What do you mean?" Liam asks, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

Harry sighs and runs his fingers through his hair, "We don't even really know Zayn. What if he steals something?"

"Harry," Louis scolds, "He wouldn't do that."

"And how do you know?" Harry snorts, "You'd probably let him do anything with how whipped you are for him."

"You can only be whipped if you're dating the person," Louis glares at him, fighting a blush, "Plus, I don't like him like that."

"Right," the taller lad rolls his eyes, "I just don't have a good feeling about this."

"That's because you like Niall," Louis sneers, running a few steps ahead of his friends when Harry tries to make a grab for him. He sticks his tongue out at the younger boy.

"Not even close," Harry grumbles.

He didn't want Zayn to be in his apartment alone with Niall. He couldn't explain why but he didn't like how close the two were one bit.

"They're probably going to fuck each other on the couch," he says, ignoring the pang he feels in his chest.

"You're more than welcome to keep them company Harry," Liam interjects, ignoring how childish his friends were acting. He was tired of playing mediator, "Lou and I will just go to the bar on our own."

Harry clenches his jaw and says nothing. He all but stomps behind his friends who are laughing and playfully shoving and jumping on each other's backs on the way to the bar.

When Harry finally hears the loud bass from the club he relaxes a little. Maybe getting wasted will help him get his mind off of what Niall and Zayn are doing back at his apartment.

The trio wait in line to get inside the bar. It's packed to the brim on the cool evening. So busy, that the bouncer makes them wait for people to leave before he lets them inside.

Finally, after the security guard checks their ID's, they're pushing past people to make their way to the bar. Harry can see that the bar at the front of the club is packed, the bartenders downing with orders, moving as quickly as they can, so he leads his friends to the back of the bar, next to the dancefloor.

"We better order a few rounds of shots," he yells to his friends over the loud music while he pushes his hair back off of his already perspiring forehead, "Who knows how long we'll have to wait to be served again."

He doesn't wait for his friends to agree, knowing he'll drink their other shots if they don't want them. He needs this.

He orders three rounds of shots and passes along the message of his friends drinks to the pretty bartender behind the counter. He passes a shot to Louis and Liam and they down them before the bartender can even finish making their drinks.

Louis pushes up next to Harry instead of behind him, glaring at a couple who are standing there making out, "Get a fucking room!"

Louis feels no shame as he shoves his back against the couple, slowly but surely creating a gap between him and Harry so Liam can squeeze in between them.

Harry pulls out his wallet and slaps his card down on the bar when his drink is pushed across to him. He hands his friends another shot, along with their drinks right after and they repeat the action from seconds ago, tipping the shot back and swallowing it down.

He turns back when the bartender returns with his card. He notices that she's pulled her shirt down more, exposing her breasts, and she flutters her eyelashes at him, probably trying to get him to give her a good tip. Instead, Harry averts his eyes and cringes a little.

He grabs his final shot after shot and his drink after returning his card to his wallet and filling out the receipt accordingly.

"Let's go find somewhere else to stand. I've had my ass grabbed like three times already," Louis shouts.

Harry nods, and they follow the mousy boy. They almost lose him, due to his small figure being able to slip through the crowd much easier than Liam's muscular build or Harry's clumsy legs.

Multiple intoxicated girls stumble up to him and offer to buy him drinks. He declines a few but finesses others to get them to buy a round for both his friends and thiers. Then he's dragging Liam and Louis to a different part of the bar to start the process all over once more.

"Harry mate," Liam watches as Harry downs his sixth shot of the hour, "you should slow down."

Harry scoffs at Liam before sending a cheesy grin to the girl that's pressed up against his side. She giggles and wraps her arms around him, smiling at his friends innocently.

"Don't worry so much Li," Harry replies, prying the girls arms off of him. He stumbles out of her iron grip and ignores her glare while he steps closer to Liam. He wraps an arm around Liam's waist instead, turning to face the girl who is clutching her glass tightly in her hand. "Sorry love, I'm gay," he yells over the loud music and he presses a sloppy kiss to Liam's cheek and he grabs a handful of his friends tensed ass.

"I hate when you do that," Liam grumbles, shoving Harry's hands off of him when the girl turns and storms away. He doesn't push Harry hard, but the tall boy is drunk and he trips into someone behind him who immediately shoves him back in Liam's direction. Of course, Liam catches him and rightens his friend, sending an apology to the person who's openly sending death glares at the pair.

"Hate when I actually show you how much you mean to me as a friend?" Harry asks him innocently.

Liam rolls his eyes, "No, that you use all these people for free drinks and then rudely dismiss them."

Harry pouts.

"Li, don't make me feel bad," he whines.

Liam shakes his head disappointedly, "Let's just find Louis."

Liam grabs Harry's hand in his and leads him through the crowd, searching for their third friend. He knows that Harry's no help, watching him take another girl's drink in passing, sending them a cheeky smile and wink, causing the girl to shrug the action off.

"Harry," Liam scolds. He feels like he's taking care of a three year old. He knows that when they find Louis he won't be much better. His friends and the thumping bass is starting to give him a headache and he wishes that he had gone to have a quiet night in with his girlfriend instead of babysitting his friends.

"I bet Niall and Zayn are having way more fun," Liam grumbles under his breath.

They find Louis pressed up against the wall by some lad with black hair, tongues down each other's throats.

"Couldn't even make it to the bathroom Lou?" Liam questions, stopping in front of the pair. Harry bumps into his back lightly, giving Liam a shy smile.

"Sorry."

They wait for a few minutes, but Louis and whoever he's with had ignored Liam. There was too much alcohol running through Louis' veins to even notice his friends openly staring at them.

Liam sighs. He's had enough and he just wants to go home and unwind. He shoves the guy off of Louis and notices how similar he looks to Zayn. Liam ignores his menacing glare; he turns to Louis and offers his hand, "Let's go."

"But–"

"Please don't fight me Lou," Liam begs him, "I've already got enough trouble with Harry."

"Hey," Harry wails, "I'm no trouble."

Liam gives Louis a look that says, 'See what I mean?'

He looks between Liam and the guy who's tongue he just had down his throat. He doesn't even remember his name, so he takes this as a reason that he should go. He's also not Zayn.

"Sorry," Louis says half-heartedly to the boy before he's taking Liam's free hand and letting himself be tugged out of the bar by Liam.

Liam breathes a sigh of relief when he manages to get his friends out of the bar without any problems. He drops their hands and leads the way back to the apartment, taking a deep breath of the fresh night air.

"Lou, that guy looked just like Zayn," Harry laughs, swinging an arm around Louis' shoulder and ruffling his hair up, "You sure you still don't have a crush on him?"

The shorter boy swats Harry's hands away and shoves him away with a glare. He watches Harry stumble and fall off of the curb into the street. Thankfully, there are no passing cars.

"What the fuck was that for?" Harry grunts angrily, unsteadily getting to his feet, wincing a little as he feels a slight pain in his ankle.

"I do like Zayn," Louis admits, crossing his arms over his chest before sending a menacing smirk in Harry's direction, "At least I can admit that. Unlike you with your thing for Niall."

"I definitely do not have a thing for that thing," Harry snaps, stepping closer to Louis so that they're chest to chest. Even though Harry is almost a good foot taller, Louis doesn't back down, knowing that his friend is all bark and no bite.

"Right," Louis rolls his eyes, "That's why you were so pissed when we left him all alone with Zayn."

"I just don't want that good for nothing stealing from me."

"He's not a good for nothing," Louis yells, his blue eyes blazing with anger.

Harry chuckles dryly, about to respond but Liam pushes in between them.

"Can't we ever go out without you two down each other's throats?" Liam asks wearily, "I swear, it's like you two have a thing for each other or something."

Both Harry and Louis fake gag and quickly dismiss the idea.

The walk back to the apartment is silent, Harry a few paces behind his friends, dragging his feet as Louis words replay in his head. He doesn't like Niall. He feels quite the opposite in fact. He'll do anything to get Niall out of their apartment. He gets it set in his mind that he will conduct some research to try and get Niall out of his life for good.

Liam and Louis don't wait for him to catch up. When he makes it up to their floor of the building he can hear the four boys all laughing at something and it only makes him angrier.

He storms into the apartment, catching everyone's attention, but his eyes are locked on Zayn. Niall is curled up into his side on the couch, their movie on the TV paused.

"We're home. Time for you to go Zayn," Harry spits, catching everyone off guard.

"Harry," Liam scolds, but Harry is quick to cut him off. He doesn't care if Niall hates him, he hates Niall. He doesn't want to see Zayn in his apartment any longer.

"No, I said go."

Zayn furrows his brows but doesn't back down from his gaze as he stands from the couch. Niall grabs for his arm and tries to tug him back down to the couch. Harry's hands clench tightly into fists at the sight.

"Zayn, don't go yet," Niall begs, his blue eyes big and pleading, but Zayn's not looking at him.

"It's fine Ni," Zayn replies quietly. He gently removes Niall's hands from his arm and walks to the door to put his shoes on. Harry's glare follows him the whole time.

Niall wants to speak up so bad. He wants to curse out Harry for treating his best friend this way but he bites his tongue, knowing that if he says the things he wants to he'll be in a mess of his own because he's trapped in this apartment for eternity.

"Harry, why are you always such a fucking dick?" Louis speaks up from his spot on the couch.

"I'm not, you just don't see what I see."

"And what's that exactly?"

"He's obviously psychotic! He's literally here hanging out with a fucking dead guy," Harry yells, making everyone jump, "How fucking pathetic."

Niall's mouth is hung in shock. No one was expecting those sorts of words to come out of Harry's mouth. He's not even sure he can form a single sentence right now.

Zayn leaves without another word. He's heard enough.

"Zayn," Louis yells after him, quickly getting to his feet and running down the hall after him, not caring that he's barefoot.

Liam sits, head in hands, and he's absolutely fuming. He tries to collect his thoughts to confront how fucked up what Harry said is, but before he gets the chance to open his mouth, Niall is already on his feet, angrily stalking over towards Harry.

"You think that this is fucking easy?" Niall questions, stopping in front of Harry so that they are toe to toe. He's up in his face, pointing a finger harshly into Harry's chest. He doesn't think that he's ever been so mad in his entire life. No one speaks about Zayn like that.

"I didn't ask to be fucking murdered Harry. I didn't ask to somehow be stuck in this apartment for the rest of whatever the fuck this is," he gestures to himself, "And I certainly didn't ask for you to fucking move in."

Harry's scared, not that he'd admit it, but the fury in Niall's eyes is enough to keep him silent.

"Zayn's not a psycho because he misses me. If he is, then that makes Liam and Louis psycho too because they actually treat me like I'm still human," his voice quivers, but he remains strong, "I guaran-fucking-tee that if you or Liam or Louis were in my position all of you would be doing the same as us. I'm so grateful that Liam is your roommate, because he is way more caring and compassionate than you could ever wish to be. Fuck you!"

Niall turns abruptly away, not giving Harry the chance to say anything in return. Harry was in fact, shocked into silence. The look in Niall's eyes made his stomach churn. His face burned with embarrassment and he had sobered up completely.

"Liam, can we go to your room?" Niall asked quietly, his throat burning from the yelling and tears brimmed his eyes.

"Of course," Liam responded softly, standing quickly and wrapping his arm around Niall's shoulders, leading him to his room.

The door shut between Harry and them and the apartment was silent, leaving Harry to think about the mistake he had just made.

"What have I done?"


	16. Psychic Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Right, then let's start shall we?" she asks, placing her hands face up on the table before instructing him further, "Place your dominant hand open-faced on mine."
> 
> Harry cautiously extends his right hand over the table and rests it into her patiently waiting ones. Her hands are cold and when she traces a few lines with her long red nails a shiver shoots up his spine.

Harry doesn't sleep a wink.

He lays in his bed, fully clothed and on top of the covers, staring up at the ceiling. He swears he can hear Niall's gut wrenching cries from behind the thin wall that separates his and Liam's rooms, only making him feel worse.

He regrets what he said to Niall. He did immediately after the words left his lips. Never in his short life has he ever been so mean to someone. His mother taught him better than that.

Niall's face is burned into his mind. He'd never had such an anger directed at him. All the while Niall was yelling in his face he couldn't help but to be mesmerized by the intense blue that was glaring into his soul or the tiny shockwaves that rippled through his body with every poke to his chest, even if they were accompanied by pain.

There's no way that he can make this up to Niall. Or Zayn. Or even Louis and Liam. He's appalled with himself and he's seriously considering running away back home to his mother, no matter how cowardly that might seem.

He pulls on his hair frustratedly before flipping on his stomach and pulling the phone from his back pocket. He looks through his social media, hoping that something interesting is going on to get his mind off of the situation at hand, but just his luck, nothing. The most interesting thing he sees is that a girl he used to go to high school with got a puppy.

His phone dings with a text from Louis and Harry groans, not wanting to open the message. He clicks on it anyway, deciding that the message is just going to be eating at his mind all night if he doesn't open it right now.

As he expected, Louis has sent him a paragraph long message saying that he is a dick for acting the way that he is and that he needs to get his head out of his ass. And that's putting it nicely.

He replies with an 'Okay,' knowing that it's a shit response but he's not exactly sure how to respond. He knows he needs to change, he just doesn't know how.

He rubs his eyes hard, reveling in the feeling. He tries to go to sleep, but every time he closes his eyes he sees Niall's angry and hurt face.

________

He must've fallen asleep at some point because he wakes with a start and quickly fumbles around his sheets to find his phone.

He's gotten an idea while asleep and he decided that he needs to look into it right now or he won't do it.

His fingers graze over his phone before he's gripping it tightly. He quints as the harsh light brightens the room and he unlocks it, ignoring that it's almost 4 o'clock in the morning. He pulls up the internet and he types quickly into the search bar. He scrolls through the results, reading through multiple websites before finding one that seems credible.

Smiling to himself slightly, he sets his alarm and locks his phone before rolling onto his side and reaching for the charger that is plugged in next to his bed.

After successfully connecting his phone and setting it on the table he stretches and he unbuttons his jeans. He struggles to kick them off, the jeans being so tight that they are hard to kick off from around his ankles.

He breathes a sigh of relief when he hears the pants hit the floor softly. The cool air of his room surrounds his bare legs and he shivers, pulling his blankets around his body. He tries to fall back to sleep with the hope that tomorrow will help him get some answers for Niall, praying that this will be the first step to getting back into the boy's good graces.

________

Harry wakes before his alarm. He hadn't gotten much sleep after his idea hit so early in the morning, being too eager to find answers.

He dresses in the discarded jeans from last night and grabs his phone and keys. He doesn't care that he's still wearing the shirt he wore yesterday at the club. He forgets to put on deodorant and rushes to the bathroom, brushing his teeth at lightning speed.

He wants to get out of the flat as quickly as possible, not knowing what Niall has planned to torment him with during the day while he's in ghost mode. He wonders if he really can possess people, but he's not willing to find out just yet.

He rinses his mouth out and then he's out the door, taking the steps down two at a time. He slips and almost falls down the next floor down, but he grips onto the railing tightly, regaining his balance.

Now his heart is beating twice as fast, so he tries to calm himself and walks normal down the rest of the stairs. He didn't need to get injured right now, knowing that none of his friends would come to help him if he got hurt.

When he exits the building the sun is shining and the air is warm, Harry knows it's going to be a beautiful day. He smiles and takes a deep breath before ducking into his car and pulling out from his assigned parking spot.

He drives for a while, closely following the directions the phone is reading out to him.

"Destination is on your right in 200 feet," the voice speaks, and Harry's driving the last few blocks and parking in the spot right outside.

Harry sighs, squinting to make sure he has the correct address. He's looking up at the small house his phone had directed him to.

It's a quaint little thing, painted purple. The paint itself is cracked in a few places and ivy creeping up the side of the house. There is a neon sign in the window reading 'psychic' but the first three letters are burnt out. He thinks that the sign has never been turned off before.

Harry climbs out of his car and walks slowly up the steps to the porch. There's a sign on the door reading 'OPEN', so he lets himself inside.

There's a ring when he enters and he's met with a small foyer. A handmade counter stands before him. The house smells of antiques and mothballs, making him scrunch his nose slightly. An older lady who looks up at him when he enters from where she sits perched on a stool behind the counter, reading a large book. She brushes a white strand of hair from her face and offers him a warm smile.

"Hello son," she greets, "How can I help?"

"I'm looking for some answers for a friend," he replies, all of a sudden a little nervous.

"Answers for a friend?" she chuckles, "Let's see what I can do."

Harry nods. She makes him pay for the session first, explaining to him that sometimes people get worked up over her observations and tend to resort to their flight reaction and leave without paying.

After he's paid she gestures for him to follow her into the next room. She hops off of her stool and Harry's surprised by how short the lady is, just barely reaching 5 feet tall.

There's a round table with a long thick velvety purple table cloth placed over it. There's a fireplace burning hot right next to the table despite how warm it is outside.

"Take a seat, love."

Harry sits in the chair opposite the lady who is looking eagerly at him. He gives her a sheepish smile in return.

"What kind of information are you looking for?"

"Um," Harry starts, not exactly sure how to explain to the lady the situation he is dealing with back at his apartment.

"How about we focus on you first, then we can talk about your friend?" she suggests, noticing how disconnected Harry gets when he was asked, "They mean a lot to you, yes?"

Harry only shrugs in response.

"Right, then let's start shall we?" she asks, placing her hands face up on the table before instructing him further, "Place your dominant hand open-faced on mine."

Harry cautiously extends his right hand over the table and rests it into her patiently waiting ones. Her hands are cold and when she traces a few lines with her long red nails a shiver shoots up his spine.

"Immediately looking at your hand I can tell that you are resistant to any changes in your present state of mind. You also feel unsafe being here and you are not open-minded to new ideas," she says, getting straight to business.

Harry's shocked by her spot on analysis. It's true, he doesn't like change. That's why he's had the same two friends for most of his life and why he refuses to move from England. He thinks that anyone would obviously be uncomfortable doing something like this but the fact that she brought it up interests him as well.

"What else?" he blurts and blushes like mad.

She doesn't look away from his hand.

"Have you had many lovers?"

Her saying this pisses him off. It's not something that he was proud of, but there had been a period of time where he had slept with many people.

"Listen lady," Harry cuts her off, annoyed with her words, "I already told you, I'm not here for me. I have to use this information to make something up to someone so I would really appreciate it if you said something useful right now."

"You hold on deeply to hurt," she comments, ignoring his rant.

He glares at her and clenches his jaw tightly.

The old woman doesn't notice Harry glowering at her, instead she continues, "You want others to feel the hurt you're feeling, so you act in an undesirable fashion."

His brows furrow at her words.

"Your fate line is deep, which means you are strongly controlled by destiny."

Hearing this, Harry lets out a snort. He knows he told himself that he was going to start making a conscious effort to have a better attitude and treat people nicer, but this is just ridiculous.

"Destiny?"

"Yes."

He opens his mouth to share some witty response but she's cutting him off, "And your head line is straight, meaning that you are a realist. See this circle and these crosses here?" she asks, pointing to a few different spots on his hand that do resemble the shapes she's explaining.

"Yeah."

"The circle denotes an emotional crisis of some kind. Maybe you're currently in one now," she adds thoughtfully, looking up at him and gauging his reaction, "And the multiple crosses mean that you have a lot of very big decisions to make in your lifetime."

Harry bites his lip in thought. He came here completely clueless and looking for answers for Niall, but instead he found them for himself.

When he doesn't speak for a few minutes the woman speaks up, "Just because you have had many lovers doesn't mean that you aren't capable of finding the one. If I had to guess, you already know who it is."

Harry immediately retracts his hand from hers, "I think that's enough."

The chair scrapes loudly against the floor as he pushes back from the table. He stalks towards the front of the house and is almost to the door when he hears her yell out after him, "Don't fight love, son. And certainly don't let it go."


	17. Apologies and Investigations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What did the psychic say?"
> 
> Harry scratches at the back of his head and he blushes thinking about his awful reading with the older woman, "Nothing helpful."

"Well that was no fucking help," Harry mutters to himself after he's pulled away from the house.

The old woman's words keep replaying in his head.

"Don't fight love, son. And certainly don't let it go."

He huffs. He hasn't been in love. He doesn't even know what is.

"If I had to guess, you already know who it is."

"Who the hell..." Harry drifts off, racking his brain for who she might be talking about. No one that he's dated in the past are worth rekindling anything, he thinks. That lady must be crazy.

He checks the clock on the radio and groans when he notices that he's only been in his hour session for thirty minutes. He then thinks that the old woman must be making a lot of money if people acted like he did and left before they got their money's worth.

He's disappointed. He has no answers for Niall and now he has to think of something else to try and gain the boy's forgiveness. Harry thinks that the situation is beyond being fixed by a simple apology. He's not quite sure what to do.

He drives around town aimlessly for about an hour before he becomes restless and bored. He decided to stop by a coffee shop to grab a drink and something to eat since he skipped breakfast.

He drives across town to his favorite coffeehouse. It's fairly busy when he pulls into the parking lot; filled with students from the nearby college, hipsters, and the occasional business person. He exits the car and makes his way inside.

Once the smell of coffee enters his airways he relaxes a little. Louis, Liam, and him spent their fair share of study sessions here, needing the coffee desperately before upcoming exams. He can't even remember how many times he's stressed out over a test in here.

He smiles fondly at the memory, stepping forward a bit as the line moves up. He looks around, trying to see if there's an open table for him to sit at when he sees a familiar head of black hair.

"Fuck," he curses under his breath and turns so that Zayn wouldn't see him if he looked up.

It's funny, in a sadistic sort of way, how he was just thinking about how stressed he used to be at times in here, and how seeing Zayn caused that anxiety to hit him like a brick.

He chews on his lip. He for sure didn't think that this was how his day was going to go at all. He has a very strong urge to leave, but he knows that he needs to try and fix things with Niall and his roommates, which also means fixing things with Zayn.

"Excuse me?" a voice pulls him from his thoughts.

It's the mousy girl standing behind him. She looks terrified to be talking to him, her arms crossed in front of her protectively. She stares at him through her thick-rimmed glasses, "Would you please mind moving up? You're next."

Harry glances over his shoulder and indeed, he is next to be called to the counter. He returns his gaze to the girl and offers her a gentle smile, "Sorry about that."

She gives him a single nod before moving her gaze past him to the menu. With that, he turns and steps up in line just as the person before him moves to the receiving end of the counter.

"How can I help you?"

"Can I have an iced matcha green tea latte?"

The cashier quickly types his order in, asks for his name, and tells him his total. He pays with his card and takes the receipt and card and takes a step towards the other end of the counter when he realizes that it's closer to Zayn's table.

He tries to blend in the best he can with the other people waiting for their orders, glancing at Zayn every so often who is focused intently on whatever he is doing.

"Harry," the barista calls loudly and Harry cringes. Zayn's head snaps up and immediately he finds Harry's gaze locked on his.

They stare at each other for a few long seconds. Harry is the first to break away, turning to grab his drink off of the counter. I could do it right now, he thinks, I could just run and not look back.

Zayn had quickly returned his gaze to his drawing, but suddenly he didn't feel like drawing any longer. Anger was brewing in his stomach for Harry. He never wanted to see the stupid curly haired boy again.

"Is this seat taken?"

Instead of running, Harry had forced himself to walk over to Zayn's table. He needed to do this if he was going to try to get in Niall's good graces once more.

For some reason he couldn't explain, he didn't want Niall to hate him. The time he had spent with Niall had been alright. He knew that Niall was a good person in an unfortunate circumstance, but he didn't deserve the treatment that Harry was giving him.

"Fuck off," Zayn responds, glaring at the other boy who was standing awkwardly in front of his table.

Harry wasn't surprised at this response. It was expected after what had happened. He shifted his weight to his other foot and tried again, "Please Zayn. I'd like to apologize."

"Really?" Zayn snorts, "That doesn't seem like your kind of thing."

"It isn't, but I went too far this time and I can admit that."

Zayn's brows furrow as he studies the tall boy. He looks nervous but sincere, and a part of him wants to know what Harry actually wants to apologize for. There's no way he's doing this for the benefit of being a nice guy.

He decides that he'll entertain Harry for a moment, he couldn't lose Niall again.

"Why are you doing this?" Zayn asks, gesturing him to take a seat.

Harry pulls out the chair and perches on the edge of it, ready to flee at any moment. He notices Zayn closing what appears to be a sketchbook and watches as he sets his folded hands on top of it.

"Because I don't want to be a dick anymore."

Zayn looks at Harry like he doesn't believe him, so Harry continues.

"Look, a lot of bad shit happens in everyone's lives, but nothing as bad as Niall's. I have my own problems and I forced them out on you and him and I know that that's not an excuse. I'm sorry," Harry says, picking at the cardboard cup holder surrounding his cup.

Zayn studies the boy in front of him. He thinks that Harry is being sincere, but that doesn't excuse his actions. He also confessed that he is going through his own shit, which Zayn understands.

"I can't forgive you unless Niall does," Zayn says. There is no point in him forgiving Harry if Niall isn't going to as well.

Harry nods solemnly, "I understand," he runs his fingers through his hair and pushes his hair back, finally meeting Zayn's intense gaze, "I'm not really sure how to gain his forgiveness. I had an idea but it kind of went to shit."

"What was it?" Zayn asks, quite curious. He knows that Niall would be fine after an apology and explanation, maybe a little bit of time, but he wants to know why Harry is trying another form of apology.

"I uh, went to see a psychic," he mumbles and blushes, thinking it sounds a bit dumb, "I was hoping to try to find some answers for Niall."

Zayn opens and closes his mouth in surprise, "I thought you didn't believe in this kind of stuff."

"How did you know that?" Harry asks.

"Louis mentioned it...and Niall too."

Harry looks back at the pattern of the table, ashamed, "I didn't. But it's hard not to believe now. And I just feel like such a dick because I've spent a little bit of time with Niall and yeah, I thought it was super weird at first – and I still do sometimes, but I can tell that he's a good person. I wasn't really thinking of everything that he has been through and has to deal with until after I said what I said."

Zayn nods in understanding, "Why don't you just say sorry?"

"What I said was really shitty and I thought that he probably wouldn't forgive me. Hell, if someone said that to me I wouldn't forgive them either, so I guess I can't blame him..." Harry trails off, "I thought that if I could get some answers for him, he'd forgive me."

"What kind of answers are you looking for?" Zayn asks, suspicious of Harry's intent.

Harry looks Zayn in the eyes, "Answers about what is happening to him and if there's a way to fix it. If somehow he could become human again or maybe move on."

It hurts Harry to say it, but when he had first found out about Niall he had wanted the boy gone from their apartment, no matter how. But after interacting with Niall, he sees what his friends see. A genuinely nice, funny, loveable, and not to mention cute, blond haired boy.

Zayn thinks to himself for a moment, choosing what he wants his response to Harry's words to be. Move on? He had just gotten Niall back and while the situation isn't ideal, he can't imagine Niall being gone once more. Somewhere more permanent.

"I'll help you."

Harry chokes on his sip of latte, not expecting those words to come out of Zayn's mouth.

"What?"

"I'll help you," Zayn repeats, "But I don't want him to move on," he says selfishly.

Harry nods, "Okay."

The boys stare at each other. An Uncomfortable silence surrounds them, neither of them wanting to be spending time with each other, but this is for Niall.

"What did the psychic say?"

Harry scratches at the back of his head and he blushes thinking about his awful reading with the older woman, "Nothing helpful."

__________

They spend the day searching for answers. After spending a half hour in the coffeehouse doing research on their phones, Zayn thinks it would be more helpful to go to a library. Harry looks through the paranormal section while Zayn searches the internet on a computer nearby.

"This is hopeless," Harry sighs, slamming the big book shut in front of him, earning a "shh," and a glare from someone nearby.

"Haven't found anything?" Zayn questions, stretching in his seat.

"Not anything that pertains to our situation."

"I didn't find too much either," Zayn responds, clicking onto the document he's been taking notes on, "All I've really seen is that Niall seems to be an interactive ghost, which we already know. I also found a few different ways to try and make a spirit move on, like burning sage, burning white candles, or just ignoring the spirit, but we're not looking for that solution."

Harry rests his head in his hands. He's disappointed and tired. He was really hoping to be able to give Niall some information to help his situation, but now he's back to step one. He even spent the whole day with Zayn, which he thinks he should get a trophy for, even though he had spent most of the time looking at books away from Zayn.

"Fuck," he curses lowly, "Now what."

Zayn runs his fingers through his hair and looks at the time, "Well, it's getting late. I reckon we get some food and go to yours."

"You want to come to mine?" Harry questions, confused.

"Liam texted me a few hours ago about coming over for dinner. I'll let him know that we'll pick something up."

Harry moves his gaze to the table and nods slowly. He's exhausted, but not quite ready to go home just yet. He still hasn't apologized to Louis, Liam, or Niall, and he's dreading seeing them all at the same time. He'd rather apologize to them one on one, but he has no choice now.

He leads Zayn down to his car, thinking about how awkward it is going to be when he gets home. At least Zayn's forgiven him.

They end up picking up some Indian takeout, Zayn claiming it's the best place in town.

When they arrive, Harry offers to carry the food but Zayn declines and follows him upstairs.

Every step closer to his apartment has him feeling more and more nervous. He trips once up the stairs and mumbles an "I'm okay," when Zayn asks if he's okay.

Harry takes a deep breath and unlocks the door to his apartment. He's immediately met with three sharp glares, Niall's gaze seeming to hurt the most.

The scowl on Niall's face turns to one of confusion when Zayn pops out from behind Harry with his arms full of food.

"Zayn!"

The blond jumps off of the couch and quickly hugs his best friend. Zayn had moved the box of food to one hand, hugging Niall back with the other. He offers the food for Harry to take, which he quickly does.

"What's going on?" Niall questions quietly in his ear.

"Harry apologized," Zayn whispers back. Niall pulls back to look at Zayn. He doesn't quite believe him, as that doesn't sound like something Harry would do. Zayn nods in confirmation.

"And you forgave him?" the blond questions next.

"Eh, not exactly. I said I wouldn't until you did."

"Niall," Harry quickly takes this as his cue to apologize. He's nervous as hell, but he looks Niall in his eyes and waits until he sees the blue to continue, "I know there's really no excuse for the things I said–"

"You can say that again," Louis snorts from his spot on the couch.

Harry ignores his friend, "I promise that I didn't mean it. I was drunk and I don't know what I was thinking. It's just a weird situation and I'm still not really used to it. But um...shit I'm no good at apologies, but I really am sorry."

Niall studies Harry for a minute. He's never seen Harry so anxious before and he only takes his nervousness as a sign that he's being sincere. He looks over to Zayn, who gives him a small nod, encouraging him to accept the boy's apology.

"Fine, you're forgiven," Niall says reluctantly, watching Harry's tense shoulders relax, "But only because I want food," he jokes.

"Thanks Niall," Harry responds softly after he lets out an awkward chuckle.

He then turns to his friends to say a similar apology. Liam brushes it off after wishing it won't happen again. Louis is a bit harder to convince.

"Get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness."

Harry blushes red with embarrassment and glares, "No way."

"I think we'd all like to see that," Louis smirks, "Right boys?"

Harry closes his eyes and silently prays to any God that will listen to him.

"Awe come on Lou, maybe we should just eat and put it behind us."

Much to Harry's surprise, it's Zayn who speaks up. He sends him a thankful smile which is returned. Niall looks between him and Harry, wondering what the hell happened between the two of them today. He decides not to comment currently, he'll ask Zayn later.

Louis crosses his arms and huffs, sinking back into the couch, "Whatever. I forgive you Harry. Now let's eat."


	18. Starboy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do I really creep you out that much?" He doesn't look at Harry when he asks it, but he feels Harry tense up next to him and look at him in shock.
> 
> Harry feels his gut twist, "I–no."

Harry wakes with a start, chest heaving and frantically looking around the room. He calms when he figures he's in no immediate danger, like he was in his dream.

He groans and lets his body fall back onto his soft mattress. His breathing is still uneven and his heart still races. He closes his eyes, trying to push the nightmare from his mind.

Unfortunately, he's wide awake now, so he groans and rolls over on his side, squinting at the bright blue numbers coming from the clock next to his bed. 3:45.

After he gets himself in check, he decides that it would be best to make some tea to help bring him back to his sleepy state.

He shivers when his feet hit the cold floor. He scoops up a discarded sweatshirt from the floor and tugs it on over his bare torso. He skips putting on socks, he's too lazy and it's too much of a hassle right now.

When he opens his door and steps into the living room he's expecting Niall to be up watching something on the television, but the room is completely dark. It's a little eerie, if he's being honest.

His eyes scan the room quickly and finally he notices Niall sitting cross legged in front of the big window.

Niall hasn't moved. He either hasn't heard Harry or he's back to ignoring him.

Wearily, Harry walks closer to Niall, who chooses not to acknowledge him.

"Hey," Harry says softly, pulling the sleeves of his sweatshirt over his hands.

"Hey," Niall replies, eyes not moving from the bright stars outside.

Harry studies the boy for a moment. The moonlight shines down on the boy and he looks so soft right now. Harry can see the stars reflecting in his big blue eyes. He wishes he knew what Niall was thinking about.

"What are you doing up?" Niall's voice rips him through his thoughts and he blushes, turning his gaze to the floor.

"Couldn't sleep," Harry decides to say, "Was going to make some tea. Would you like some?"

Niall shrugs and finally looks up at Harry, "Sure."

Harry nods and quickly makes his way to the kitchen. He pulls out the kettle and fills it up, then sets it on the stove. While he waits, he chews on his lip and his eyes keep making their way over to Niall, who looks so small sitting in front of the big window. He wills the water to warm faster, wanting to go over and chat with Niall.

He still feels awful about what he said. But now that Niall isn't surrounded by Zayn, Louis or Liam, now is his chance to talk to the boy alone.

The kettle lets out a sharp whistle and Harry cringes. He knows Liam is a heavy sleeper, but the noise cuts through the silent apartment and he hopes it hasn't disturbed Niall.

He pours the water into the mugs he's prepared and walks back to the living room. He sits down next to Niall, passing him the cup, and stares out at the stars as well.

"Thanks," Niall murmurs, taking a sip of the hot tea. It surprisingly calms him like it used to. He smiles down into the cup for a moment, before his thoughts consume him once more and he deflates, turning his gaze back up to the outside world.

"I thought you'd be watching a movie or something," Harry says lamely, not knowing what to say.

"Not all the time," Niall looks at Harry from the corner of his eye, admiring his features, "Gets boring eventually. I like to look at the stars when they're out."

Harry makes a mental note of that before he responds, "Boring? But there are so many amazing films and shows to watch, how could that get boring?"

"I take it you're a big movie guy?" Niall questions.

Harry shrugs, "I can appreciate a good movie. It's music I love most."

"Really?" Niall turns to face Harry, "Me too."

Harry perks up, "Favorite band?"

"Eagles, you?"

"Fleetwood Mac."

"Classic," Niall nods with a smile ghosting his lips, "Good choice."

"You too," Harry smiles down at him.

It gets awkward then, both of them just staring at each other, not quite sure what to say. They've never really talked before, Harry's never really wanted to talk to Niall before. He was too uncomfortable.

Thinking such, Niall breaks their staring contest and looks outside once more. He takes a sip from his tea and the warm liquid gives him the courage to say what's on his mind.

"Do I really creep you out that much?" He doesn't look at Harry when he asks it, but he feels Harry tense up next to him and look at him in shock.

Harry feels his gut twist, "I–no."

Niall refuses to look at him, so he continues, "Niall, when I first found out about you it was just...for lack of a better word, weird. I was never one to believe in ghosts or paranormal things, so I didn't believe Louis and Liam. When we talked to you for the first time through the ouija board, I tried my best to not believe it, to convince myself that Louis was manipulating the game, but then we found the article, and you pushed the notebook off the couch and it started to not seem so crazy, I guess."

Harry peeks over at Niall, watching the caress of the warm streetlights spilling over his features, "We went to your grave," Harry says softly, watching Niall put his head down sadly, "That's where we found Zayn. Louis just blurted out that you weren't gone and invited him over. I was so pissed at him for that, I didn't want to give Zayn a false sense of hope, because that'd be so shitty."

He takes a sip of his tea, unsure if he should continue. Niall doesn't say anything, so he does, "And then you showed up and talked about all the things you did to let us know you were here like moving papers and fruit. And the deodorant in the bathroom," Harry says, trying to make it sound like a joke but a blush creeps up his face, "I hope you enjoyed the view."

"I didn't see anything," Niall looks at him firmly, "I promise."

Harry nods and he's not sure why, but he feels slightly disappointed.

Eventually, after a few moments of silence, Harry clears his throat and speaks again, "I tried, you know. It was a little strange, yeah, because I couldn't understand how this could happen. Hell, I still don't know exactly what's happened to you, but you're actually a pretty cool guy. When we had dinner that one time, it was nice."

"That food was the best thing I've probably ever eaten," Niall perks up, sending Harry a genuine smile, "Like seriously. And it's the first thing I ate that actually tasted like normal food."

Harry's heart warms with Niall's words. He decides that he likes Niall's smile.

"I'd be happy to make it for you anytime," Harry responds before finishing the remainder of his drink.

The pair once again move their gazes back to the night sky.

"Harry?" Niall eventually asks.

"Yeah?"

"What happened the night we watched the movie? I took the remote from you and you kinda freaked."

Harry turns his head and is met with Niall's big round baby blues. He's caught in the trance for a moment, "Um, it just startled me because...like...we were so close we could almost..." Harry doesn't finish that sentence. He doesn't want to admit that he had thought about them kissing after he had left the room.

"Kiss?" Niall supplied.

"Yeah," Harry breathed out, chewing on his lip while gazing out at the stars.

Niall nods but doesn't say anything. He curses himself for making it uncomfortable.

"I wouldn't. I don't even know if you are into boys."

"I am," Harry whispers.

"Me too."

It's definitely awkward after that. They don't say anything for a long time, both boys lost in their heads. It's out there, and now someone just has to make a move.

Harry opens his mouth, about to speak, but shuts it again. Eventually he decides it's best to stray from that topic completely, "I'm sorry for what I said, again."

Niall looks at Harry, brows furrowed, but brushes off the change of topic, "I forgave you already."

"I know," Harry rolls his empty mug around in his hands, "I feel like a proper dick about it still."

"We can all be dicks sometimes," Niall responds lamely, not really sure how to make Harry feel better.

"Seems to be my specialty."

"Yeah, some days more than others."

Harry snorts out a laugh at Niall's response, "How can you see the good in people?"

Niall shrugs, "I don't know. Everyone's going through something. I don't want to make people's lives harder than they are because I don't know them."

"You're probably right."

Niall repeats his previous action and shrugs once more.

"After I said those things to you," Harry starts and his heart races, thinking back to that day, "I went to see this psychic, to try and get some answers for you."

This piques Niall's curiosity. He never would've thought that Harry would do something like that. Especially not for him.

"Really?"

Harry nods, a soft smile gracing his lips, "Yeah," his face then turns sour, "Didn't help worth shit though."

"Oh," Niall deflates.

"I went to a coffee shop after and Zayn happened to be there. I was going to turn around and run. But eventually I talked myself into apologizing. Told him that I was looking into helping you. He told me he'd help and we spent the whole day at the library, searching through books and online to try and find some help."

Niall smiles, thinking about Zayn and Harry helping each other out. Just for him.

"Thank you," Niall says quietly.

"Don't. There's still so much more to learn."

Niall feels like he's floating. Harry said there's more to learn. Like he's going to continue to search for answers for Niall. He feels the warmth spread across his cheeks.

_________

"Here, lie down on your back and put your feet up on the windowsill like this," Harry says and lies down, showing Niall what he wants him to do. When his bare feet touch the cool glass he shivers a little and he can feel the goosebumps running up his legs.

They had been sitting silently once more, both content this time, when an idea sprung to Harry's mind.

Niall's breath hitches in his throat at the sight of Harry's long legs kicked up next to him. He swallows hard and his eyes trail up Harry's legs, slowly until he reaches his eyes, which are focused intently on him.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"You look like an idiot."

"Oh, come off it," Harry rolls his eyes. He doesn't care that he looks like an idiot, he had just seen Niall checking him out, so he thinks that Niall doesn't really think he looks like an idiot either, "Just do it."

Niall does, folding his arms up under his head so it's a bit more comfortable. He kicks up his feet on the windowsil next to Harry's and turns his head to look at the curly haired boy whose eyes are shining, "Now what?"

"Look," Harry nods down towards their feet, "It's like we're walking on the stars."

Niall falls into a fit of laughter and Harry's heart soars. It's easily the best sound he's ever heard. He watches Niall with a fond smile, happy with himself that he's pulled Niall from the sad mood he was in earlier.

"Hey," Harry whines, "It's not funny."

"It is," Niall tries to control his laughter, "Just a little."

Harry shakes his head and chuckles along. Once Niall settles, he looks down towards their feet, the bright night shining around his feet.

"I guess it is like walking on the stars," Niall says finally.

Minute by minute the sky was getting lighter, and Harry knew they only had a few minutes left before Niall would disappear once more. He couldn't help but wish that his time with Niall didn't have to end.

"Thanks for this," Niall mentions, noticing how the stars are disappearing when the sky brightens.

Harry turns his head and meets Nialls gaze. He can't help but stare into Niall's eyes. They're easily the prettiest things he's ever laid his eyes on.

"You're welcome," he says softly.

They both lay on the ground, not caring about how the hardwood beneath them makes their back ache slightly, and look into each other's eyes.

Harry's nervous. Nervous because he and Niall are finally on good terms and he looks so soft and cute laying next to him, and he's so close that all he has to do is lean over a little bit and he can kiss him right on the mouth. Nervous because he doesn't know that that is exactly what Niall wants as well.

So he does it. He swallows the nervousness and leans over towards Niall, who's heart would be pounding against his chest because he can't believe that this is really happening.

Harry closes his eyes as he nears and he's just about to touch his lips where Niall's would be, but his body keeps rolling and his face smacks the floor.

He groans and quickly brings a hand up to his stinging lip. He opens his eyes and Niall's gone. He quickly looks out the window and curses to himself.

The sky is bright and the sun is peeking out over the horizon.


	19. Keep Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall refuses to see Harry.

Niall refuses to see Harry.

During the day, avoiding the curly haired lad was easy. He was in ghost form and Harry had been out most of the day, busy with classes and work.

He walked through the front door of his apartment with some food he ordered for both Niall and himself, a skip in his step.

Harry had been excited all day. He had bought the food for the two of them with the intention that they could have a nice dinner and talk some more in his room maybe, if Liam was around tonight. He had the intention of kissing Niall tonight, before the sun was even near coming up.

He had even stopped by the university's quick shop and stocked up on energy drinks just in case he was feeling tired. He wanted to spend as much time with Niall as he could, which meant pulling an all-nighter after their already late night up yesterday.

What he hadn't been expecting though, was Niall locked away in Liam's room, refusing to see him.

Liam had answered the door when he knocked, and he stepped out before Harry could even get a glance at the blond whose hair was stuck up in silly directions due to the amount of times he'd pulled at it.

"He doesn't want to see you."

"What?" Harry's surprised, "Why?"

Did he make Niall uncomfortable last night? Did he not want to kiss him back?

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me either," Liam said, placing a hand on Harry's lower back, pulling him into a half hug and directing the taller lad to the couch, "He said he wanted Zayn."

There's a pang of jealousy in the pit of Harry's stomach but he pushes it away, "Really?"

"Yeah...do you know what could've happened?"

Harry feels the familiar burn of a blush sweeping across his cheeks. He coughs and clears his throat, "Yeah, I mean I think so? I kind of...almost kissed him last night."

"What?" Liam sputters. Harry refuses to meet his eyes but gives him a sheepish smile.

"Harry," his friend says disbelievingly, "When?"

Harry's about to respond but he realizes that Niall is in Liam's room a few feet away. He hopes that Niall isn't listening in on their conversation. The pair hadn't been talking loudly, but he didn't know how good Niall's hearing was.

"Maybe we should wait until Zayn gets here," he says quietly, "And we should probably call Lou."

"He told me he's staying in tonight," Liam says.

Harry rolls his eyes and puts the bag of food that's still in his lap on the coffee table in front of the two, "Tell him Zayn's coming. He'll come running."

___________

Harry was right, that's exactly what Louis had done when he received a text from Liam saying that Zayn was coming over to his and Harry's apartment tonight. He'd give his right arm to see Zayn.

Louis burts into the apartment, startling both boys on the couch.

"Where's Zayn?" Louis asks, quickly shutting the door behind him. He winces as it slams shut rather loudly.

"Don't look so eager Lou," Harry snickers, "You haven't even kissed yet."

"As opposed to you and Niall?" Louis replies swiftly, crossing his arms.

Harry deflates, remembering the situation at hand.

"Louis," Liam says, shaking his head and giving the boy standing by the door a serious look.

Louis furrows his brows. He takes in the way Harry's slumped back against the couch cushions and Liam's sympathetic hand rubbing his shoulder.

"What happened?" he asks, gently sitting down on Harry's other side. He tentatively reaches out to place his hand on Harry's other shoulder, unsure if his friend would want him to comfort him.

Harry shrugs, chewing on his lip, "I almost kissed Niall yesterday," he mumbles, avoiding Louis' gaze.

"What?" Louis gasps loudly, earning glares from his two friends.

"Shut up," Harry says quickly. He looks over to Liam's room, unsure if one of the two boys would appear.

"I'm sorry," Louis whispers, "What? What about all the 'I don't like that thing' shit?"

Harry cringes at Louis' impression of him. He can't believe he'd actually said those words out loud for others to hear.

"Please Lou," Harry begs, "I don't need you rubbing it in my face right now. I just need a friend."

Louis is shocked to say the least. For the past four months, since they left their hometown to move to London, Harry's been treating him differently. He was short-tempered and cautious about what he told Louis. Louis knows it's his fault for their falling out, and he had given up on trying to get their relationship to where it was before the incident. He never thought he'd see the day where Harry actually wanted his help again.

Louis swallows the lump that was building in his throat and wraps Harry in his arms without thinking.

He half-expects Harry to pull away, but he's pleasantly surprised when Harry buries his face in the crook of his neck.

Liam watches his two best friends fondly and gives Louis a reassuring smile when he meets his gaze with tear filled eyes.

"Okay," Louis says softy, running a hand over Harry's hair, "What happened?"

"I woke up from a nightmare last night and when I went to make tea for myself I saw Niall sitting up by the window, thinking. So I offered him some tea and we got to talking. It was great," Harry explains, smiling for a moment thinking of their interaction last night, "We were laughing and I noticed that the sun was rising and he'd be gone soon and I found myself wishing that he didn't have to go. I didn't think really, I just lent in and he disappeared right before I could kiss him."

Louis lets out a long breath, unsure of what to say.

"When did you realize that you liked him?" Liam asks next.

"I don't know. I mean, I thought he was attractive the first time I saw him, but the situation was too strange for me to grasp. I thought it'd be better to not have anything to do with him," Harry admits, squeezing his eyes shut tight, "But then someone told me to get my head out of my ass, and that's what I did," he laughs and his friends join him.

Harry pulls out of Louis' grasp and looks him straight in the eyes, "I'm sorry Lou...for back home. I'm sorry I couldn't let it go."

Louis shakes his head, "No Haz, I'm the one who's sorry. That should've never happened and I'm so sorry that it did."

"Consider it water under the bridge," Harry responds with a smile.

"Thank fucking God," Liam cheers, letting his body fall back against the couch pillows, "It's finally over!"

The three laugh at that. Harry feels like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. Finally, he has his best friend back.

"So," Louis breaks the silence after a few minutes, "What happened from the time you got back from work? Why's Niall holed up in Liam's room?"

The curly haired boy throws his head back and sighs, "I have no clue. I brought dinner for him and my intention was to actually kiss him tonight, but when I walked in the door he was already with Liam, refusing to see me. If you're hungry, go for it," he says, gesturing to the unopened bag of food sitting on the coffee table.

Louis looks questioningly at Liam who fills in his part of the story.

"When I got home Niall asked if he could go in my room. He looked really anxious about something so I said sure. He spent the time pacing and pulling at his hair, muttering things under his breath but I couldn't catch what he was saying. He wouldn't talk to me. Eventually, I asked if he wanted me to call Zayn and he said yes. They've been in there for about twenty minutes," Liam explains.

"Weird."

"Very."

"I'm starting to think that he doesn't want to kiss me at all."

"You don't know that Haz," Louis defends and Harry shrugs.

"What else am I supposed to think?" he asks, exasperated, "Obviously, somethings wrong."

"Maybe we should go out and get some food? Give them a little space?" Louis suggests, "You probably need some too mate."

"Yeah, whatever."

Liam and Louis pull a reluctant Harry out of the apartment after putting away the food he had brought with him from work, not wanting to ruin good food. Louis sent a text to Zayn telling him that he and Niall could have the food and that they were taking Harry out so they could have some space. He grinned when he saw the smiley face Zayn had replied with.

__________

"Niall, are you going to tell me what's going on finally?" Zayn asks when he hears the door to the apartment shut, "They're gone."

"You don't know that for sure," Niall mumbles, pressing closer to his best friend's side.

Since Zayn had come, Niall had refused to tell him what was wrong. Instead, he demanded the comforting arms of his best friend, so there they laid, Niall wrapped in Zayn's arms who was offering him supportive words and encouraging him to speak every time he declined.

The older boy sighed and immediately detached himself from Niall, causing him to whimper. He stalked to the door and threw it open, checking the apartment to see if the three other boys really had gone.

"See? They're gone. Now tell me what's wrong Ni," Zayn said, gesturing to the living room. He said his words semi-sternly, he'd almost never lost his cool around Niall.

Niall didn't even look up from where he had buried his head in Liam's pillow. It smelled quite good, manly.

"Fine," he huffed, voice muffled by the soft cushion, "Harry almost kissed me last night."

"What was that? I can't hear you through that damn pillow," Zayn makes his way back over to his friend. His phone vibrates with a text from Louis and he responds quickly, a small smile on his face before returning his attention to his friend, "Ni?"

"Fine," Niall groans, pulling his face from the pillow and sitting up, "Harry almost kissed me last night."

Zayn furrows his brows and studies his best friend. This is why Niall had been acting so anxious and didn't want to face the curly haired boy? He raises an eyebrow, "Almost?"

"Yeah, I kind of–uh, turned before he could actually do it."

"How close was it?"

"He was literally a millimeter from my lips, Z."

Zayn hums, thinking through the situation for a moment before he responds, "Did you not want it to happen? Is that why you're avoiding him?"

Niall let's his body fall back onto the bed and he stares up at the ceiling, "I did want it to happen, it just can't happen."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm this," Niall says lamely, "The fact that I turned into a ghost right before he kissed me is like a sign in itself. I'm dead, he's alive. I'm stuck here for eternity, he can actually step foot outside the damn apartment. It just doesn't make sense."

"Since when have you started getting down on yourself? You're the happiest leprechaun I know."

Niall only shakes his head, "I've had a lot of time to think Zayn. Whatever I am, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy," Niall says and he really feels like he could cry right now, so he does.

For the first time since he's died, Niall cries. It's not pretty either, his eyes are puffy and red, there's snot, and his heart wrenching sobs cause him to hardly be able to breathe.

Zayn's quick to pull his best friend into his arms. Seeing Niall cry is one of the worst sights in the world, in his opinion. Niall doesn't deserve to be sad.

His heart aches for the blond. Neither of them expected this to happen. They didn't even know that this situation was even possible. Zayn's thankful that he didn't completely lose Niall, no matter how selfish that sounds.

"Niall," Zayn runs a hand through Niall's head and scratches his scalp, something that's always calmed Niall down, "I'm sorry."

He lets Niall exhaust all of the tears he has. He isn't the best at comforting people, he never knows what to say, but Niall doesn't care, he just wants to be held.

They lie in silence, Niall listening to Zayn's strong heartbeat, and every thump is a little pang in his heart that he doesn't have one now.

"You know, nothing is the same anymore," Niall finally speaks up, his throat sore and voice rough from his crying.

"What do you mean?" Zayn cranes his neck to look down at Niall.

"Like, I don't get the feeling of hunger. I don't feel the hot flush when I blush. Food tastes like shit now. My heart didn't even race like it normally would've when Harry leaned in to kiss me. It's not fair," his voice breaks at the end of his confession.

Now Zayn feels like he could cry. He probably will once he returns back to his parents house, but for now he stays strong for Niall. He decides that he needs to try and find some answers for Niall soon.

"Has anything felt slightly normal since?" Zayn asks.

Niall thinks for a moment, "Harry made me this pasta and chicken dish one time," his face breaks out into a small smile at the memory, "Was the best thing I've ever eaten. Dead or alive."

Niall also explains the few blushes that have creeped up on his face and even though they weren't the same as they used to be, they were still there. He also tells Zayn about the butterfly feeling he'd once gotten, also Harry's doing.

"So Harry makes you feel things again?"

"I guess. As much as I can feel these days," Niall responds.

"Maybe you should give him a chance then," he tells his friend.

"I'm not sure Z," Niall responds thoughtfully, "I thought you didn't even like him."

Zayn thinks back to his and Harry's conversation in the coffee house and how they'd spent the day trying to find answers for NIall, "He's growing on me."

Niall pouts and Zayn laughs, "What? You don't want me to like your potential boyfriend?"

"He's not," Niall sighs, "Z. I've never really had a serious relationship before. I'm scared. Just dated a few people for a couple of months."

"It's not serious yet though, just try and have some fun, yeah?"

Niall shakes his head, "This is so different though. Like, even if it worked out it still really doesn't work out right? We couldn't ever go out and do things. I can't go out and meet his family. He certainly can't meet mine. We couldn't get married and have kids and own a house or anything that I wanted. And if something were to happen and it ended badly, I'd still be stuck here where all of our memories are and he'd just be able to move out and escape. It's a lose-lose for me."

"I see what you're saying Ni, I really do, but I think that if you like him you should really go for it. I know you don't think that this situation is good, but it's a sign. You're still semi-here for a reason. This might just be it."


	20. Small Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Being like this," Niall whispers, gesturing between the two, "Makes me nervous."
> 
> Harry sits up, Niall's head falling off of his shoulder. He had Harry's full attention now, "Why?"
> 
> "Because I'm you know...dead and all."

"Okay, Niall. You can do this, you can do this," Niall mutters to himself. He's standing in front of Harry's closed door. It's hours since they've come back from wherever they went to give him and Zayn some privacy. It's been so long that Liam had come to kick them out of his room because he was so tired. Niall and Liam spent almost twenty minutes apologizing to each other; Niall for overstaying his welcome in Liam's room, and Liam because he felt bad for kicking the pair out of his room.

Liam assured them that Harry had gone to his room to go to bed.

When they entered the living room they found Louis passed out on the couch in what looked like a really uncomfortable position.

Zayn quietly said his goodbye to Niall, reassuring him that he would be okay and that he'd return tomorrow night to see how it went.

Reluctantly, Niall let Zayn leave.

He'd considered waking Louis up just to get his mind off of talking to Harry, but he knew Zayn would be disappointed in him if he didn't at least talk to Harry.

"Come on...stop being such a pussy," he whispers. He can hear the faint music coming from the other side of the door. He hopes that Harry's sleeping.

Hesitantly, Niall brings his hand up to knock on the door. He sighs and knocks quietly so that if Zayn asks he can tell him that he tried, but Harry must've been asleep.

He waits a few long seconds, and he's just about to turn away when the door opens. His eyes lock on Harry's quickly and neither of them say anything.

He studies Harry, the soft light from the lamp on the table beside his bed illuminates his figure, giving him an almost heavenly glow. Harry's leaning up against the door, looking ready for sleep. His hair's a mess, probably from him constantly running his hands through it for the past six hours.

Dinner didn't help. He didn't feel like eating much. He also didn't have anything to say to his two friends, who tried their best to get Harry's mind off of Niall. Instead, he had to listen drone on about Zayn for an hour.

"Uh, hey," Niall speaks softly, averting his gaze from Harry's intense stare.

"Hey," Harry says as equally quiet. He waits for Niall to say something.

Niall shuts his eyes tight, suddenly feeling very awkward, "Can we talk?"

Harry bites his lip and assesses Niall. His hair is tousled, and he's playing with his fingers nervously. The same light that Niall had been admiring on Harry spills onto his face and he looks so soft and warm.

He wants to be upset with Niall, but he isn't. He's worried and wanting some answers. This was the moment that he'd been waiting for all night.

"Yeah, come in," Harry steps back, allowing Niall to slip through. He shuts the door quietly behind him and turns to Niall who looks like he'd rather be anywhere than here.

Niall watches Harry walk over to his bed and sit, leaning up against the headboard.

"You can sit, you know," Harry says, gesturing to the empty spot on the bed next to him.

Niall hesitates for a moment, his gaze locked on Harry's. The boy sitting on the bed gives him a blank stare, not letting Niall allude to what he could be feeling. Harry is good at masking his feelings and it only makes Niall more nervous than he already is.

Niall cautiously makes his way over to the bed. It's eerily silent. Harry watches Niall like an animal watching its prey, ready to strike when the moment is right.

Niall sits cross-legged, facing Harry to see him better. He's looking down at his lap, playing with the fringe of his jeans like it's the most interesting thing in the world.

He's not sure what to say, or where to start.

Harry doesn't rush the blond. He knows that Niall is going through a lot and is confused, so he decides it would be the best approach to let the smaller boy speak when he chooses to do so.

While waiting for Niall to speak, Harry admires the boy in the soft glow from the lamp sitting next to his bed. The yellow light illuminates his smooth skin and this is the most color Harry's seen on Niall's skin, with exception of the time that he swore a faint blush warmed up the boys cheeks that one time.

He admires Niall's long eyelashes, eyes half-lidded and looking down at his skinny fingers. His eyes trail down Niall's lean body, his shirt clinging to his body in all of the right places. His legs look miles long despite him being shorter than Harry, due to the skin tight jeans on his lower half.

Harry wonders if Niall ever feels uncomfortable in his clothes. Harry knows when he wears skinny jeans too long they start to get a bit annoying. Maybe he should offer Niall something to change into.

He decides that's what he'll do. He gets off of the bed and Niall's eyes snap to his retreating figure. He deflates, thinking Harry will leave because he hasn't said anything yet. Instead, Harry goes to his dresser and shuffles around in the top drawer, pulling out a pair of joggers and one of his shirts. He turns to Niall and holds his hand out.

"If you want to change," Harry says, noticing the way Niall is looking confused, "I didn't know if your clothes were comfortable or not."

Niall opens his mouth, stunned at Harry's gesture. He'd never thought about changing from the clothes he is stuck in forever, but his body warms when he realizes Harry must've been thinking about the clothes on his body.

"Uh, thanks," Niall responds quietly, rising from his spot on the bed.

He gently takes the clothes from Harry, making sure to avoid their bare hands touching each other and he pads softly to the door, telling Harry he'll be right back. Niall changes quickly in the bathroom and when he's done he looks at himself in the mirror. The clothes are clearly not his size, but he feels a little bit freer in the baggier clothes.

He lifts the collar of the shirt to inhale a deep breath of Harry's scent. A genuine smile appears on his face and it gives him the confidence he needs to go and speak to Harry.

He returns to Harry's room and Harry is sitting in the same spot as before. Harry's eyes grow wide when he sees how adorable Niall looks in his clothes, the material of the joggers scrunched up around his ankles and the baggy shirt almost hits his body perfectly at mid-thigh. Niall doesn't hesitate to climb back up onto his bed.

"I'm sorry," he blurts.

When Harry's over the initial shock of seeing Niall in his clothes, he clears his throat and speaks, "It's okay..."

Niall shakes his head, "It's not."

"I'm sorry too."

"What? Why?" Niall asks, brows furrowed.

"I overstepped your boundaries," Harry runs a hand through his unruly curls, "You didn't want me to kiss you and I get that now."

"No, Harry. I did want to," Niall mumbles, his confidence replaced with nervousness once more and his gaze drops back to his lap. He thinks back to the part where he indeed is not living and will become a ghost once more when the sun rises, "It was just poor timing."

"You did?"

"I do."

"I–" Harry starts, but instead he lifts Niall's chin. When Niall's oceanic eyes meet his own, his lips twitch up in a smirk, "You do?"

Niall bites his lip, reveling in the warmth of Harry's hand resting on his face. He nods, "I do."

Niall finds himself following Harry's retreating hand. He leans over on his knees, placing his hand on the other side of Harry's hip to keep him from toppling over. He stops when he's almost nose to nose with Harry and he can feel his breath on his face. Every breath he took smelled like tobacco and vanilla and all of a sudden he didn't feel shy. The warm feeling of his breath was inviting.

Neither of them say a word, too worried about ruining the moment.

Niall licks his lips and that's all it takes for Harry to finally press his lips against the blonds.

Harry's heart soars. He's actually kissing Niall. His lips are a little cold, but he doesn't mind one bit because they are so damn soft.

He lifts his hand and rests it on Niall's cheek, holding the smaller boy in his spot. He begins to move his lips slowly against Niall's in a sweet kiss.

It's even better than he thought it would be, if he's being honest. Niall's skin was softer than it looked. Heat rose from his stomach to his chest as Niall responded to his movements with his own.

Niall kept his eyes half open, sneaking a peek at Harry every so often, his mind refusing to believe that this was real.

Harry eventually broke the kiss, needing to catch his breath. He didn't go far, resting his forehead against Niall's and looking into his eyes.

Niall waited patiently for Harry to catch his breath. He on the other hand could have kissed Harry forever without needing a single break to breathe, he adds that to the list of perks of being half-ghost.

Harry draped both arms around Niall's small frame and met his lips again halfway. He lent back, forcing Niall to follow. Niall tried to rearrange himself while Harry was moving back against the headboard, but his hand slipped from it's spot and he fell completely onto Harry.

Niall falling made their teeth clack together in an uncomfortable way, but Harry ignored it, instead opening his mouth more for Niall to explore while he easily helped Niall situate himself on his lap.

Niall blushed when he realized the position he was now in with Harry. Instead of saying anything, he brought both of his hands up to Harry's silky hair while Harry rested his hands on Niall's hips.

Niall normally didn't feel much. He could remember a few times when he would blush, but most of the feelings that a normal human would feel, he wouldn't. But kissing Harry awoke all sorts of feelings that Niall didn't think he'd ever experience again. And he absolutely loved it.

This time when Harry pulled away to catch his breath, Niall swung off of Harry's lap, grinning to himself when the taller boy let out a childish whine. He settled himself next to Harry, grabbing his arm to wrap around his shoulder so he could cuddle into the brunets side. He laid his head on Harry's shoulder and looked up at him.

"That was..."

"Yeah."

Harry leans his head on top of Niall's and the pair sit in comfortable silence. Harry lets out a yawn and his eyelids start to get heavy.

"Harry?" Niall asks. He had heard the other boy yawn and knew he was getting tired but Niall still wanted to tell him how he was feeling.

"Yeah?" Harry mumbles sleepily, snuggling closer to Niall.

"Being like this," Niall whispers, gesturing between the two, "Makes me nervous."

Harry sits up, Niall's head falling off of his shoulder. He had Harry's full attention now, "Why?"

"Because I'm you know...dead and all."

Harry's brows furrow and Niall is refusing to meet his eyes again, "Is that why you avoided me?"

He watches the blonds head bobble up and down, "I'm scared."

Harry gently takes Niall's hand in his own, "You don't need to be scared with me."

Niall peeks up at Harry who has a gentle smile on his face. He sighs and looks at their hands instead, "I can't give you what someone who is alive can."

"I don't want what any alive person can give me," Harry confesses, "I want you."


	21. Gouda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall lets out a laugh and pushes playfully at Harry's shoulder, "That's cheesy."
> 
> "Yeah," Harry agrees, "I'm gouda like that."

A loud crash has Harry waking up with a start. He's delirious from sleep, heart pounding like he'd just ran for miles with no stop. He shoves the hair out of his face, tangled from his slumber.

He holds his breath, ears listening intently for any noise coming from outside his bedroom. Nothing.

It's stupid, he thinks, to be so scared, because it was probably just Liam, but with the track record this apartment has for bad things happening, it wasn't out of the question.

He lets out his breath and collapses back on the bed with a groan. He turns his head to check and reaches for the phone that Niall must've plugged in for him.

Niall.

The events of last night flood his mind. Niall coming to apologize, their talk, and the kisses they shared. Harry's cheeks burn with a blush as he thinks of Niall's perfect soft lips. A smile graces his face.

Checking his phone, he sighs, noticing it's well past one o'clock in the afternoon. He shouldn't have slept this late, but he'd been exhausted from staying up with Niall as long as his body would allow him. Well, at least it won't be long until I get to see Niall again.

More clanging sounds from the kitchen and he rolls his eyes, the sound making him a bit irritable. He knew Liam would be more considerate, he knew exactly who was making all of the noise.

Harry closes his eyes once it becomes quiet in the apartment, he's hoping to get some more sleep. Of course, that would be asking for too much.

Just as he's about to fall back into his slumber, another clash comes from the kitchen. He grits his teeth and glares at the door, wishing that he had lasers shooting from his eyes.

He shakes his head to himself and gets up, pulling on some discarded clothes from the floor. He doesn't care if they are dirty or smell, he'll do his laundry and shower before Niall's back.

He stalks to his door and almost rips it from the hinges. It bounces off of the wall and boomerangs back, almost hitting Harry on his way out.

"Louis," he hisses, the kitchen containing exactly who he thought would be in there.

Louis jumps and turns quickly, holding an empty pot in one hand and a whisk in the other. He glares at Harry after he gets over the initial surprise," Jesus Harry, you could warn a guy."

"Like you with how damn loud you're being?" Harry sneers, crossing his arms over his chest.

Louis rolls his eyes, "Sorry to wake you, your highness."

"You should be. What are you even doing here anyway?" Harry fumes.

"What? I can't come over and want to make some food?"

"Not when it wakes me up you can't," Harry retorts.

Louis smirks, "Did Niall tire you out yesterday?"

Harry opens his mouth to reply but he watches the way Louis hunches his shoulders and shivers, a startled look on his face. "Sorry, Ni," he mumbles.

Harry grins smugly, "Thanks Ni." His response is a gust of cold air washing over him, ruffling his hair in the process. Sure it's cold, but it's Niall.

"Dick," Louis mutters under his breath, turning away from Harry and placing the pot on the stovetop.

The smile falls from his face and his brows furrow in anger, "Asshole."

Louis pivots on his foot quickly to face Harry once more, "Why do you always have to be such a jerk?"

"You know well why Louis," Harry growls.

"You've seriously got to let that go," Louis says, clearly annoyed that that situation is still Harry's excuse to be angry with him, "I already apologized. You said you forgave me."

"Doesn't mean I trust you."

"Yet here I am with a key to your place."

"Which you shouldn't even have in the first place," Harry bares his teeth.

Both boys are fuming at this point. They stand chest to chest, close enough to feel the hot pants coming from one another's nostrils. Icy blue meets Louis doesn't understand why Harry keeps holding on to something that happened so long ago. Personally, he's felt bad about it enough, and the fact that Harry brings it up so much even though he said he was over had really taken a toll on the pair's relationship.

Niall tries unsuccessfully to separate the two boys, but there's only so much he can do when he can't physically be there to pull them away from each other. He prays Liam will walk in.

Harry wants to punch Louis in that smug little face of his so badly. He knows that he should have moved on from what Louis had done to him in the past, but for some reason he can't make himself forget. Every time he looks at Louis, he sees it, replaying in his mind.

"Go home Louis."

"No."

"Yes."

"Nope," Louis pops the 'p,' only infuriating Harry more.

Once more they feel the gust of frigid air between them. It stays this time, Niall standing between them.

"Stay out of it Niall," Louis glares, the air so cold in front of him that he thought he'd see his breath when he spoke.

Niall's not sure what to do. He knows he can't make them stop, no matter how hard he tries. He doesn't want a physical fight to break out between the two. He doesn't know if they'd get that violent with each other, but he's not wanting to find out.

He racks his mind for ideas. He could try moving something off of the counter, but that probably wouldn't have much effect on them now that they knew it was him. He reckons that he could try to possess one of them, but he's too scared to try. Instead, he lifts his arms up to Louis' chest, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and thinking hard about trying to push him back.

The anger on Louis' face falters when he feels two cold spots pressing into his chest. The cold sends a shock to his system and it's almost a struggle to breathe. Suddenly, he feels pressure on his torso. It's not very forceful, but it does push him off balance for a moment and he catches himself with his other foot.

Harry wears a surprised look, watching Louis half-stumbling a step back from him.

"Niall, stay out of it," Louis says, clearly irritated with the boy who isn't even here.

Harry smiles in his head, his heart swells with the thought of Niall trying to protect him. He could picture the cute scowl on the blonds face, wedging his skinny body between his and Louis'.

Before Harry could defend Niall, Liam strolls through the door to the apartment, whistling. Zayn is trailing behind him. Louis immediately perks up seeing the black haired boy, moving away from his spot in the kitchen to greet him.

Harry watches Louis with a frown. He rolls his eyes and decides to let it go before they make even more of a scene than they had before. He also knew that both Zayn and Liam would take Liam's side over his and he didn't want to be outnumbered three to one. Well, one and a half, counting Niall in ghost form.

"Hey Haz," Liam greets, entering the kitchen as the taller boy fills a bowl with cereal and milk.

"Hey," Harry replies shortly, grabbing a spoon from the drawer and slamming it closed a little too hard.

While Harry stalks back to his room to eat and hopefully get some work done for class, he hears Liam asking why he's being so moody, to which Louis respondss sourly, "He's always fucking moody."

_____________

A soft knock on the door pulls Harry from his focus from his history book. He was deathly bored, he didn't even know why he signed up for this damn class, he hated history. He just needed something to fill his schedule. Harry welcomed the interruption, even if it were Louis.

"Harry?" a quiet voice asked. Harry swivels around in his chair with a smile on his face, looking at the blond whose head was peeking through his door, "Can I come in?"

"Of course." Harry stands from his chair and meets Niall who has his back turned to shut the door behind him.

When Niall turns around he gasps in surprise as Harry presses him up against the closed door. He looks up at Harry, Harry loving the way Niall's big and innocent baby blue's are looking up at him.

"Hey," he breathes, his smile stretched so wide it almost hurts.

"Hi," Niall whispers back, his heart fluttering for a moment at their close proximity. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to actually feeling something again.

"I missed you," Harry admits sheepishly, eyes tracing over every inch of Niall's pale face.

"Yeah?" Niall asks, swallowing hard.

Harry nods, and leans down to press a quick kiss to Niall's cold cheek. He leads him over to his bed so that they can sit. "Were you out there hanging out with everyone?" Harry feels a pang of jealousy when he asks this.

"No," Niall scratches the back of his head and looks away from Harry down at the floor, "I uh, don't like to appear in front of anyone so I do it in a room where there isn't anyone."

"Oh," Harry responds, thinking, "You can do it in front of me, you know?"

This makes Niall look up at Harry with a confused look on his face. He sees that Harry is being sincere. It's still a little strange to him, how Harry went to seemingly loathe him to now being the complete opposite.

"I guess," Niall responds, self-conscious, "I don't know if that'll happen though."

"Why not?" Harry questions, feeling a bit hurt.

Niall sighs, "I don't know what it looks like from someone else's perspective. What if I look like a fool?"

Harry chuckles, "I don't think you'll look like a fool."

"You don't know that," Niall replies, a smile now building on his face, "I probably look like a fish flopping out of water."

"Then you'll look like a cute fish flopping out of water," Harry smiles.

Niall's face flushes a little, but Harry didn't miss it.

"Plus, I'll be your water."

Niall lets out a laugh and pushes playfully at Harry's shoulder, "That's cheesy."

"Yeah," Harry agrees, "I'm gouda like that."

"Oh God. Stop."

Harry feigns hurt, "You didn't like that?"

Niall rolls his eyes playfully, "No."

"Well damn, that's a shame because there's plenty more where that came from."


	22. Not Dazed, Just Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall shifted closer to the edge of Harry's bed under his hostile gaze.
> 
> "Maybe we shouldn't do this," he says, gesturing between the two of them, making Harry's face turn from anger to confusion, to hurt, "We shouldn't be doing anything if you're still hooked on the past."

"Harry?"

Niall's voice interrupts his thoughts. He was thinking of Niall, admiring his features while they sat on his bed, Niall playing with his long fingers and the sweet sound of Fleetwood Mac playing softly from the speaker on his desk.

"Yeah?" Harry sat up, his lower back starting to burn from sitting in the awkward position for so long. Niall followed suit, turning to face him, legs folded beneath each other.

The blond looked nervous almost, eyes looking anywhere but at Harry, and all the younger boy could do was wonder what was going on in that pretty little head of his.

"Ni?" he asked when he knew Niall wasn't going to say anything more, "What is it?"

Niall shrugged in response, more interested in a stray thread on the joggers Harry let him borrow.

"Come on," Harry said softly, using his hand to lift Niall's chin, "You can't just change your mind now. Tell me."

The other boys' cerulean eyes studied him so intently that it almost had Harry squirming under his gaze. He was beginning to feel a little nervous by the way Niall was examining him.

Niall sighed, "What happened earlier between you and Lou?" he asked quietly. He knew it wasn't really his place to ask, but this was something he'd been wondering since he had seen the pair first interact.

Harry tensed up and pulled away quickly, but Niall had noticed. He watched Harry's guard come up, he could see the change not only in his body language, but also in those mossy green eyes he was so infatuated with.

The room became uncomfortably quiet while the song changed from one to the next. They could hear muffled laughter from the other side of the door where their other friends were hanging out.

Harry clenched and unclenched his jaw. He hated the topic of what happened between him and Louis. It was something that he always wanted to forget, but could never quite seem to let it go. It was clear as day that there was some sort of grudge Harry held against his older friend, but he'd thought he had done a decent job of covering it up. I guess not.

"You don't have to explain," Niall said shyly when Harry refused to answer, "It's between you two."

Harry bit his lip, looking up at the blond. He looked so cuddly and cute, hunched over himself, arms wrapped around his calves in Harry's baggy clothing. His blond fringe fell over his eyes as he looked back at Harry innocently. He almost groaned at the sight of Niall's wholesomeness.

"It's okay," he finds himself saying, before he's really kicking himself. He hadn't meant to blurt that out and now he had to tell Niall.

He ran a hand through his hair, the knotted strands getting caught around his fingers. He winced and pulled his hand out, trying not to pull the hair even more.

"It was when we lived back home," Harry started. He wasn't sure that he could look at Niall while he relived the moment his and Louis friendship was wrecked, so he opted to look up at the ceiling instead. His hands were placed on his lap, fingers intertwined with each other, clenching every so often.

"During senior year of high school, I was dating this guy. You know, it was just one of those relationships – a first love – and I was so happy. I'd come out as bi and everything was great. Everyone accepted me, my parents, my sister, my friends. No one at school gave me shit. It was the perfect situation to be in," he smiled sourly, "I really liked this guy. I spent nearly all of my time with him. We were very into each other, but Liam and Louis were a little upset with me because I hadn't been hanging out with them as much."

He risked a glance at Niall, scared that he'd see some type of negative emotion on the blonds face. Niall looked understanding though, which gave Harry the confidence to continue.

"So I spent more time with Lou and Liam, along with my boyfriend. He pretty much became the fourth best friend we didn't know we were looking for. We had so much fun with each other," he pauses, squeezes his eyes shut and breathes in a calming breath, knowing the worst part of the story is about to come. "Anyways, we were all going to meet at Louis' after dinner on a Friday night before heading to one of the last parties of the year before we all graduated. I thought we were all meeting at Louis' to go get dinner before we left, and when I got there I found Louis and him...doing stuff."

Niall's mouth opened in shock, but he snapped it shut before Harry could notice. He was horrified that Harry had to go through that with a partner, let alone with his best friend.

Harry continued before he could gather his thoughts to form a sentence, "They didn't have sex...or at least that's what they told me. I was so mad and hurt. I left the house and went home. I didn't go to the party where I could've easily gotten drunk out of my mind and hooked up with someone to ease the pain. I laid in my bed crying over what happened. I didn't know what I did wrong, why I wasn't enough for him," Harry's voice broke, but he blinked his burning eyes, willing the pain to go away.

Niall's heart ached for Harry. No one deserved to be cheated on in his opinion. As bad as he wanted to feel for Harry, a part of his brain was stuck on how upset Harry seemed about the situation still. He clearly hadn't moved past the event, and that worried Niall.

"I didn't walk to Louis for weeks. Liam set me up to meet with him without my knowledge that he'd be there, and that didn't go very well. I was even mad at Liam for a time because he was still friends with Louis after what he had done. Eventually, I was tired. We'd all moved here to London because of our plans to go to school together. I told Louis I forgave him, but I don't think I actually have," Harry whispers the last part, letting his head fall into his hands.

There was a feeling in the pit of Niall's stomach after hearing Harry confirm his prior thoughts. Now he was the one who wanted to run from the room and cry.

"I'm sorry that happened," is all Niall can say, "Sounds like you loved him."

"I did," Harry admits and after a few moments of silence he speaks again, "I guess that's why I started sleeping around. Thought it'd help me forget."

Niall can't pretend that that didn't sting.

"Is that what this is?" he asks, not caring that his voice wavered.

Harry lifted his head quickly, an offended look on his face, "What? No, of course not!"

Niall flinched at his tone. "It seems like you're still hung up on him." He wanted to cringe at how accusing his voice sounded. He didn't want to start a disagreement, but with Harry's short temper and him hurting, he could tell that one was moments away from happening.

"I'm not," Harry said, defending himself a little too quickly for Niall's liking, "I knew I shouldn't have told you."

"Because you still have feelings," Niall stated more than asked.

"No," Harry almost growled, glaring coldly at the blond across from him.

Niall shifted closer to the edge of Harry's bed under his hostile gaze.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this," he says, gesturing between the two of them, making Harry's face turn from anger to confusion, to hurt, "We shouldn't be doing anything if you're still hooked on the past."

"That's isn't what this is," Harry says softly. He wants to reach out and grab Niall's arm to pull him close. He can't believe what he's hearing right now.

"That's what it seems like to me," Niall replied. All of his fears were being confirmed in front of him. He wanted nothing more than to leave the room and curl up into Zayn's arms and have a good cry, but he had to stay until he had said what was on his mind.

Harry opens his mouth to protest but Niall is quick to cut him off. He stands from Harry's bed and walks to the door. He tries desperately to build the courage to say his final remarks within the few steps he takes. Harry deflates when he sees Niall walking away.

"Niall," he pleads, although he knows that it's too late.

Niall brings his hand up to the doorknob, looking over his shoulder, "I'm sorry Harry, but I think you need to figure out what it is you want."

"I want you," Harry whispers, but Niall's already gone.

_____________

Zayn catches a very sad looking Niall coming out of Harry's room from the corner of his eye. He drowns out whatever Louis is saying and focuses on his friend. He clenches his fists, a tendency he had whenever Niall was upset. He swore that he'd protect Niall at any cost, and he'd be damned if he let Niall down again.

"What happened?" Zayn asks his best friend who is trying to pass into the kitchen without being noticed. Of course, the one time Niall wishes he were a ghost and not seen is the time that he gets called out.

Niall ignores Zayn and continues on into the kitchen. He's not sure why he decided to go there, maybe because it was the only other room where he could be alone without feeling like he was intruding on someone's privacy.

Zayn and Louis share a look before the onyx haired boy follows after his friend into the kitchen. Louis is quick to try and follow, but Liam grabs his arm and stops him.

"Niall, what's wrong? I swear to God if he so much as–" His words are lost as he's met with the sight of Niall, leaning over the counter with his head in his hands. He can see his body shaking with silent sobs.

Zayn is quick to be by his friends side, pulling him tight against his chest in a hug, "Oh Ni."

He lets Niall cry, rubbing his back soothingly until the sobs turn into small sniffles. When Niall looks up at him with swollen, red rimmed eyes, his heart breaks a little and his wrath builds.

"You know how I said that nothing feels the same?" he asks Zayn with a small voice. He waits until Zayn nods before speaking once more, "Well this fucking hurts, Z." He buries his head back into Zayn's shoulder.

"Let's go sit down, yeah? We can talk about it?"

Niall's response to Zayn is a shrug. He gingerly walks Niall back into the living room where he sees Louis scrambling back to the couch, no doubt eavesdropping. Zayn rolls his eyes but let's it slide for Niall's sake.

"C'mon bub," Zayn sits them on the couch, not minding one bit that Niall cuddles close to him. He welcomes it.

"What happened Ni?" Zayn asks him gently, carding his fingers through the blond hair like he knows Niall likes.

Niall sighs, his eyes shut tight, not wanting to look at any of the three boys faces, "Harry told me what happened between you two Lou."

Louis sits up straight in his seat, clearly not expecting those words to come from Niall's mouth. He didn't think that Harry would ever tell anyone about what happened back home.

"Oh."

"What happened?" Zayn asks, not wanting to be left out from what everyone else seems to know.

Louis speaks up, "I, uh, messed around with Harry's boyfriend in high school and he walked in on us." There's a heavy feeling of guilt in his gut and he refuses to look at Zayn. He hopes that it wouldn't affect their relationship if they ever got into one.

Zayn scowls at Louis, hating the fact that Louis would do such a thing. He turns his attention back to Niall quickly.

"Why does that have you so upset?" he questions, clearly confused.

"Because he's still so hurt about it. It's obvious that he's not over whatever happened and that made me think that he still had feelings for his ex," Niall mumbled, feeling at fault for how their conversation went, "So I voiced my concerns. He of course denied it, but I told him that I think he needs to figure out what he wants and left."

"I don't think what you said was wrong Niall," Liam tells him, and Niall looks up at him.

"You don't?"

"No. I actually agree. Harry has said he's forgiven Louis many times for what happened and he's never actually let it go. I see exactly where you're coming from and Harry needs to be able to let go of that part of his life so that he can focus on this new part."

Niall looks to Louis, azure eyes looking at him with uncertainty.

The petite boy nods his head in agreement, "I've never felt worse in my life then what happened back then. I didn't forgive myself for a long time. I refused until Harry said that he forgave me. That was a long time ago and I know that I have grown and learned from my mistake. I know that it will take time to build the trust Harry and I once had, but he's not even giving me the chance and he brings it up everytime we start to disagree. I think you were right when you said he needs to get his head out of his ass."

Niall lets out a laugh, "I didn't use those words, Lou."

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to."


	23. Tell Me About It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are you?"
> 
> Harry looks up at Gene, surprised, "Am I what?"
> 
> "Over your ex?"
> 
> "Yes," Harry replies quickly, before taking a moment to think about it, "At least I think I am."
> 
> His boss gives him a disappointed look, "Well I think that's your answer."

"What's on your mind, son?" Harry's boss, Gene, asks him, pulling the curly haired boy from the only thoughts that have been running through his mind since he talked to Niall last night.

After Niall had left his room he felt humiliated and foolish for his words. He was only being honest with Niall about the situation; he didn't think it would cause such a rift between them.

He had felt more upset that Niall had said that they shouldn't be pursuing anything and walked away from him then the memories of what had happened in the past. He could see where Niall was coming from, he really could, but it wasn't his fault that everytime he looked at Louis he could see him lying under his ex boyfriend.

It had happened about three years ago, and it was still something that Harry thought about often, no matter how hard he tried to push the thoughts from his mind.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

Gene chuckles and pats him harshly on the back, causing Harry to wince, "Well, for one, you're putting the Eagles record in the pop section."

Harry looks down at the record in his hands. It is in fact an Eagles record, which only reminds himself more of Niall. He then looks to the artist section he was about to put it in, the label reading Musgraves, Kacey.

He sighs, removing the record from the slot and walking over to the Rock section. Gene follows closely behind him.

"You going to say something?"

He bites his lip as he thumbs through the letter 'E', looking for the Eagles tab so that he can put the record away, "There's not much to say."

"Sure there is," Gene replies easily, leaning his back against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest.

Harry glances at the older man from the corner of his eye before letting out a long sigh, "How long do you have?"

Gene lets out a loud laugh, "I've got as long as you need."

Harry gives him a small gracious smile and picks up the stack of records he has yet to put away. He follows his boss to the register and he hops up onto the counter behind it.

"So there's this guy I like," Harry starts and rolls his eyes when he sees Gene wiggling his eyebrows at him, "And we like, kissed or whatever–"

"Ooh, juicy!"

Harry shoots him a look. Gene raises his hands in surrender.

"I really like him, like really really like him. Yesterday we had this talk because he had seen me fighting with one of my friends and he asked why we were arguing. Long story short I found him doing things a few years ago with my boyfriend at the time. I told him I forgave him, but I can't seem to stop picturing it whenever I look at him," Harry explains, his chest hurting from speaking about the events once more.

"And what does that have to do with..." Gene trails off, waiting for Harry to supply the boy's name.

"Niall."

"Niall. Okay, so what does this have to do with him?"

"He seems to think that I'm not over my ex because of the way I treat Louis," Harry looks at his fingers like they are the most interesting things in the world.

"Are you?"

Harry looks up at Gene, surprised, "Am I what?"

"Over your ex?"

"Yes," Harry replies quickly, before taking a moment to think about it, "At least I think I am."

His boss gives him a disappointed look, "Well I think that's your answer."

Harry deflates, looking at his dirty brown boots. I am over him, he tells himself. Aside from the fact that seeing Louis makes him think of what happened, he doesn't think about his ex otherwise.

"No," he shakes his head firmly, "It's not that I still have feelings, I hardly think about him anymore unless Louis' in the room. I can't stop myself from being angry at him."

"Maybe you just need to talk about it. Get everything out in the open," Gene suggests with a shrug, turning his head at the chime of the door, a goth teen walking in.

"Yeah, maybe," Harry says. He doesn't want to talk about it again, especially not to Louis.

They had never talked about what had happened that night. Instead, Harry tried to push the thoughts from his head and he forgave Louis, not really meaning it at the time.

"Think about it," the older man says with a reassuring smile before he's off to greet the girl and ask her if she needs help finding anything.

Harry shakes his head and goes back to work, organizing records and cd's. The more he thought about what Gene suggested, the more it sounded like something he and Louis should do. He really did miss his friend, and if this is what he needed to have some peace of mind, then he would just have to force himself to do that.

He pulls his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and opening up his messages with Louis. He decided to send a message before he changes his mind, asking Louis to meet up with him somewhere outside of his apartment so that they can chat.

Louis is quick to respond, telling Harry that he can come over to his apartment after he's off of work. He also asks if he should order some food for them.

He answers back that he's fine with whatever Louis wants to eat and he can pick it up on his way over.

___________

After Harry's off from work, he begins the short trek to Buddy's Pizza, their favorite place to get a quick meal. They have by far the best pizza sauces of all of the pizza places he's tried since he's moved down here, and it was also a frequent spot that he, Liam, and Louis ate for lunch between their classes. The chunky cheese they top off the pizza with melts perfectly, and when someone picks up a piece from the box, the string of cheese could stretch for miles.

Don't even get him started on the crust. Every pizza needs a good crust, and Buddy's does it the best. It has an amazing crunch and it has a slight garlic taste to it that almost makes him go into sensory overload. He'll have to bring some home for Niall sometime.

His mouth waters at the thought and his pace quickens a little.

A wide grin spreads across Harry's face when he crosses the threshold into the pizza parlor that he's missed so much.

"Welcome to Buddy's, I'm Buddy–Is that Harry Styles? I haven't seen you and the boys in awhile! Thought you had found another place to eat from," the pudgy lumberjack-looking man greets Harry.

He comes around the counter, wiping his floury hands off on his apron before embracing Harry in a tight hug.

"Of course not Buddy, yours is the best there is," Harry claps the bigger man on the back. Buddy stands a few inches taller than him and weighs at least three times his weight. A big beard adorns Buddy's face, looking funny because of the hairnet that's nestled over it.

"Yeah, I know," he says smugly, "Lou called in an order?"

Harry nods, "I can't wait to dig in, it's been a minute."

"School been busy?"

"Yeah, I can't wait for it to be over," Harry watches the other man go back behind the counter. He leans up against the glass case that holds the pizzerias desserts in it.

"Don't wish it away," Buddy pulls the pizza out of the oven with the wooden palette, "It'll be over before you know it and then you'll be stuck in the working world."

Harry agrees with him. They catch up quickly while he waits for Buddy to cut the pizza and sprinkle some herbs on the top before he shuts the box and hands it over to Harry. The curly haired boy begins to pull his wallet out of his pocket but Buddy stops him.

"Don't worry about it Harry, it's on the house."

"Oh come on Buddy, let me pay for it."

Buddy refuses, "No, this one is on me. Just make sure to stop by with the boys soon."

"Will do," Harry responds, "Thanks again Buddy."

"Bye Harry, see you soon!"

___________

Harry hastily knocks on Louis' door, waiting for the petite boy to open the door for him. His stomach rumbles loudly, and he isn't sure he can wait much longer before he devours the whole pizza himself.

He impatiently taps his foot, wondering if Louis is even home.

He's about to turn and leave when the door opens. Harry opens his mouth to say something sarcastic, but the sentence is caught in his throat when he sees Zayn walk out of the apartment, hair disheveled and shirt wrinkled and on backwards.

"Zayn?" Harry questions, confused.

"Hey Harry," Zayn greets breathlessly. His tongue pokes out to lick his lips and only then does Harry notice how swollen they are. He smirks knowingly.

"Louis' in the living room," the dark haired lad tells him quickly, aware of the smirk on Harry's face.

"Right," Harry states. He decided not to say anything about the matter. He bids Zayn goodbye and switches places with him, walking into Louis' apartment.

He places down the pizza onto the table in front of the couch and sits down next to Louis, a smug grin on his face.

"So, Zayn?" he interrogates.

Louis blushes, "Get off it. Open the damn pizza."

Harry does as he's told, grabbing a slice for himself before he settles back into his spot, watching as Louis does the same. They eat in awkward silence, the movie Zayn and Louis had on was playing softly on the TV.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Louis finally breaks the silence.

The bite of pizza turns to sludge in Harry's mouth at Louis' question. The nerves appeared in his stomach once more, but this time, he wasn't going to run from the discussion. For Niall, he reminded himself.

"I think we need to talk about what happened that night," Harry admits softly, avoiding his older friend's gaze, "I never really got to hear your side."

When Louis doesn't respond, Harry looks at him. He's sitting on the couch, mouth open in shock and eyes wide.

"Really?" Louis asks.

"Yeah. I need to hear from you what happened and I need to move past it, so I can be with Niall."

"Wow. So you're really serious about him then."

"I am."

"Good for you Harry, I'm really happy for you," Louis places a comforting hand on his shoulder and Harry yearns to have a normal relationship with his best friend once more.

"Thanks. I'm happy for you too," Harry replies, "Treat him well, he's been through a lot."

"I will..." Louis trails off. He takes a deep breath. He's completely ready for this conversation. He's thought about what had happened many times and had tried to bring it up more than once the past few years, but Harry had always walked out on him. He was surprised to say the least that Harry was sitting in front of him and ready to talk.

"Harry, I just want you to know that it wasn't what it looked like," he starts off, big blue eyes holding nothing but truth, "I know everyone says that when they're caught up in a situation like that, but in this case it's true. Yeah, he was kissing me, but it wasn't because I wanted to."

Harry's brows scrunch up in confusion, "If you didn't want it, that means–" a realization comes over him.

"Lou," he says, horrified, "Did he?" He can't force the words out of his mouth.

"No," Louis reassures, "After you caught us and left it pissed him off. He tried to fight me, got in a good punch too, I had a black eye for a week." He chuckles dryly at the memory, "Then he chased after you."

Harry felt like a right dick. For almost three years Harry had been treating Louis like shit for something that he hadn't even done. All because he was a stubborn fuck that refused to see the other side from what he had seen.

"Does Liam know?" Harry asked softly.

"Yeah, he knows."

"Why didn't he ever tell me?" Harry asked, looking over sadly at his friend.

"He wanted us to figure it out on our own. I'm really sorry Harry."

"You're sorry?" Harry exclaims, "You didn't even do anything. God Lou, I've been such a dick for you for like over two years now and you just let me?"

Louis shrugs, "You treating me like shit is better than not having you as a friend at all."

Harry's heart swells at his friends words, "I am so sorry Louis. No, that doesn't even begin to cover it. I had no clue and I apologize for not listening to you all this time. I know I can't change what's already happened between us, but I hope that we can finally move past it, if you want to. I know I'm more than ready."

Louis has the biggest smile on his face and tears in his eyes. He launches himself into Harry's arms, who laughs and hugs him back tightly.

"I forgive you Hazza," Louis pulls back eventually, wiping at his eyes, "Now go get blondie back."


	24. Just Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's Niall," Louis interrupts his thoughts, "He's pretty easy to talk to."
> 
> "That's not what I mean," Harry responds, suddenly feeling a bit guilty because of his thoughts, "I don't know if it would work out between us."

Harry and Louis finish their pizza quickly after their chat. Everything seems to be as it once was, Louis making his usual sarcastic comment about the movie that they had watched the end of and Harry laughing along loudly. It felt good, for the two of them to finally have their relationship back to where it had been. They had both missed each other immensely.

"Hey Lou?" Harry asks, picking up their garbage to take to the kitchen.

"Yeah?" his friend responds, following behind him with the empty beer bottles they had drank.

"What do you reckon I should do about Niall?" he asks sheepishly, biting his lip after and avoiding eye contact with the blue eyed boy.

"Like talking to him?" Louis asks, hopping up on top of the counter.

"I mean, I just don't know what to do." Harry opens his mouth to continue, but he cuts himself short, his worries about Niall creeping up in his mind. Niall had mentioned that he was scared to have a relationship with Harry, due to the fact that he was dead, and even though Harry had said it didn't matter to him (because that much was true), he couldn't help but think about it.

He'd never really be able to take Niall out on a proper date outside of the house. They wouldn't be able to go to the movies, go to the park, go ice skating in the winter, or even go grocery shopping or for a simple car ride together. Niall wouldn't be able to meet his family and he would never get to meet Niall's. They couldn't move to a new place, vacation together, or have a family. Most importantly, they wouldn't be able to grow old together.

"It's Niall," Louis interrupts his thoughts, "He's pretty easy to talk to."

"That's not what I mean," Harry responds, suddenly feeling a bit guilty because of his thoughts, "I don't know if it would work out between us."

"Where is this all coming from Harry?" Louis asks, clearly surprised and a little mad at Harry's confession, "What happened to Harry from an hour ago, claiming he was so into Niall?"

"I am into him," he admits, brows furrowed, offended, "I want to be with him, really badly, but it would be hard. We wouldn't be able to leave the apartment, I can only be with him at night. I mean, for God's sakes Lou, he's dead! That's what makes it all worse..." he trails off, ignoring the burning sensation behind his eyes. He swallows thickly and looks up desperately to Louis.

"What do I do?" he asks brokenly.

"Haz," Louis coos sadly. He jumps from his spot on the cold countertop and pulls his best friend into his arms, "It'll be hard, but if anyone can make it work it's you two."

"But for how long would it work? A few years? He isn't going to age with me. He's stuck in that damned apartment and he doesn't have a chance at life like we do. All because of that fucking bastard that shot him," Harry's voice breaks and a tear escapes from his eye against his will. He scrubs his hands furiously against his eyes and tugs his hair furiously because it's just not fair.

"And what happens if I fall too deeply Lou? We haven't even done that much together but he makes me feel something that no alive person has ever felt."

Louis is shocked at his friend's revelation, he hadn't expected Harry to come to him with his problems so quickly after having just made up, let alone Harry admitting such things.

"I don't have an answer for you," Louis admits, hating the fact that he's disappointing Harry further, "You can't think about it too much. You both have to just take it day by day. If all either of you do is overthink the relationship it will start to get hard. Enjoy it while you can. I'll do anything to help figure out how to help him."

"Zayn and I tried," Harry says weakly, "We didn't find out shit about how to help him."

"Well, maybe you're looking in the wrong places," Louis suggests and Harry looks at him at that.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know for sure, but there's got to be something or someone we can go to to figure this out," he replies.

Harry shakes his head, "No, if anyone else finds out about this, it will be a frenzy of media and onlookers. He won't want that."

Louis sighs, "I guess," he pats Harry on the shoulder, giving him the most reassuring smile he can, "We'll figure it out."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Louis says, although he's not sure he exactly means it. Niall's case was going to be a tough one to crack, and at the end of the day, all they know is that they can't bring a dead person back to life.

"C'mon, let's go see loverboy," he tries to get Harry's mind off of the depressing thoughts filtering through it. He decides to have a chat with Liam and Zayn about the matter and see if they'll help him figure something out.

Louis follows Harry out of his apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him, then saunters quickly to catch up to his tall friend. The ride to Harry and Liam's apartment is quick and quiet. The radio isn't even turned on, and Louis sits in the passenger seat worrying about the furrowed eyebrows and distant look on Harry's face.

He clears his throat to get Harry's attention, who seems to snap out of it before the car behind them starts honking. He hadn't realized he had been sitting at a green light. He blushes and presses on the gas, more focused on the road now.

"You didn't have to come Lou," Harry says quietly.

Louis shrugs in response, "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Really?" Harry glances at him before returning his gaze to the road.

"Yes, that and Zayn's there," the smaller boy says sheepishly, a blush rising on his cheeks at just the thought of the black haired man.

"Ah," Harry's mouth quirks up in a smirk, "So you and Zayn then?"

"Yeah," Louis breathes, a lovesick smile creeping up on his face and his heart fluttering at the thought of Zayn's lips on his once more, "Me and Zayn."

"He better not hurt you," Harry threatens, only half joking.

Louis rolls his eyes, "He won't."

They sit in silence for a moment before Harry scoffs.

"What?"

"You're not going to say the same about Niall?" Harry asks, offended.

"Niall wouldn't hurt a fly," Louis grins over at Harry who's shaking his head in disbelief.

"What about when he started throwing things through the room? Or when he almost possessed you!"

"He didn't hit us with anything," Louis points out.

"He could've," Harry argues childishly.

"He didn't mean to almost possess me."

"How do you know?"

"Because we've talked about it. And I think he should possess you," he responds and laughs when Harry gasps.

"Nope, no way am I getting possessed."

"He's your boyfriend," Louis states. He watches as Harry deflates a little when he says these words. They aren't true yet, and he doesn't know why Harry is acting this way because it's clear as day that the two are meant to be together.

"He's not."

"Yet."

"What?"

"He's not your boyfriend yet. But he will be."

"How do you know that?" Harry asks.

"You are dumber than I thought Harry," Louis says, shaking his head and looking out the window.

"No I'm not!"

"You really don't see the way he looks at you? The way he's always looked at you?" Louis asks him seriously and stares at him intently.

Harry flushes, "No." He readjusts his grip on the steering wheel, his palms a bit sweaty now.

"You are unbelievable."

Harry stays silent, hoping that Louis will say more, but he doesn't.

"Does he really?" he asks timidly, not daring to look at his friend.

"Haz, he looks at you like you hang the fucking stars in the sky."

"Oh," Harry whispers, so quietly that Louis doesn't hear him. Harry thinks that Louis has just said the perfect analogy. He knows how much Nial enjoys looking at the stars at night and the intimate night they shared while doing exactly that.

The rest of the ride is a comfortable quiet. Harry pulls into the lot, swinging his car into his parking space before shutting off the car. He unbuckles his seatbelt and shifts his body so he's facing Louis as head on as possible.

"Thank you Louis," Harry says sincerely, "For not giving up on me when you had every right to, and for all of this with Niall."

Louis gives Harry a genuine smile. He pats Harry's hand, "You're welcome Haz. Now come on, let's go see our men."


	25. As it Should Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall sits next to Zayn, facing him, "You okay?" he asks again.
> 
> The onyx haired boy rolls his eyes, "Yeah, why?"
> 
> "Why is your hair messed up?"
> 
> At this, Zayn flushes and runs his hands through his hair, trying desperately to fix it even though Niall has already seen it. The blue eyed boy watches curiously.

Niall is surprised to see Zayn on the other side of the door. Of course, he'd checked the peephole before opening it, having not opened it if a stranger were to be on the other side. Liam wasn't home, opting to spend the night with his girlfriend. He was hesitant to leave Niall alone, feeling bad for the blond and the fact that he couldn't leave the apartment, but after Niall reassured him multiple times that he'd be fine alone, the older boy had left.

"What are you doing here?" he asks after pulling open the door. He takes in Zayn's messy hair and his brows furrow. Zayn never had imperfect hair. Something's up. "You okay?"

"That's no way to greet your friend Nialler," Zayn responds cheerfully, ruffling his best friend's hair as he brushes past to enter the apartment. Niall stands in the doorway, more confused than he was a few seconds ago, before he snaps out of it, shutting the door and bounding over to where Zayn has already settled himself down on the couch.

Niall sits next to Zayn, facing him, "You okay?" he asks again.

The onyx haired boy rolls his eyes, "Yeah, why?"

"Why is your hair messed up?"

At this, Zayn flushes and runs his hands through his hair, trying desperately to fix it even though Niall has already seen it. The blue eyed boy watches curiously.

He gives up after attempting to fix his hair, it looks like it's permanently sticking up in all directions for the rest of the night. He'd just have to suffer through the embarrassment.

"I-uh," Zayn stutters, feeling his face burning up, "Nothing."

"Come on Z," Niall whines, clasping his hands together and leaning into his friend, "We're best friends, we don't hide things from one another!"

Zayn throws his head back against the soft cushion of the couch and groans, knowing Niall is right. They never kept things from each other.

"It's messy from Louis," he mumbles quietly, hoping that Niall doesn't hear him.

"What?" Niall exclaims loudly, making Zayn cringe. He jumps up from the couch and stares at his friend in shock. "Louis?"

He doesn't know why he's shocked, to be honest. Louis hadn't exactly been subtle with the longing looks from across the room and the laughing a little too loudly at Zayn's jokes.

Zayn buries his face in his knees, waiting for Niall to start poking fun at him, but it never comes. He peeks up at his friend.

"When did this start?" Niall asks, sitting gently next to Zayn on the couch, his head cocked to the side.

Zayn shrugs, "Not that long ago. We've just been hanging out mostly. Might've snogged a few times," he admits with a small smile.

Niall is a bit concerned for Zayn. Sure, he loves seeing his best friend happy with someone who also happens to be one of his friends, but although Zayn seems to have a tough exterior, Niall knows that he falls too easily sometimes. He's been there for Zayn during a few of his breakups, and he hates seeing Zayn cry over someone who isn't worth his time.

"Are you happy?" he questions seriously.

"He's a good lad Ni."

"That's not what I asked," the blond presses.

Zayn bites his lip, thinking about the petite tattooed boy fondly. Niall sees the way Zayn's eyes twinkle while he gets lost in his thoughts and he has his answer before Zayn even responds. "Yeah, I am."

Niall nods firmly before he breaks out in a smile, "Then I'm happy too."

"Thanks Ni," Zayn leans his head on Niall's shoulder, "Means a lot."

"But if he hurts you I will seriously haunt his ass," Niall states, a light joking tone to his voice, but he means every single word.

Zayn laughs lightly and the two boys turn their attention to the TV.

Niall is the first to break the comfortable silence. "So Louis did that to your hair?" Niall asks suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. Zayn rolls his eyes and nods, "Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here then? Shouldn't you be getting some?"

"Harry kind of interrupted us," Zayn responds sourly, before adding a quiet, "Bastard," under his breath.

"Harry's at Louis'?"

"Yeah," Zayn confirms.

"Did you see any pigs flying on the way here by chance?"

"Give him some credit, Ni," Zayn rolls his eyes, "He's trying for you."

This shuts Niall up. Harry was talking to Louis to show Niall that it wasn't something that affected him any longer. This is something that Harry should have done on his own, but at least he was willing to try. Niall hoped that they could be friends again, he couldn't imagine having that kind of strain on his relationship with someone as close as he and Zayn were.

Noticing how quiet Niall's gone, Zayn places a hand on his shoulder and Niall meets his eyes immediately. "He really likes you."

Niall opens his mouth to respond but the door to the apartment opens, drawing their attention.

"We're here motherfuckers," Louis yells boisterously before realizing that the pair was sitting on the couch nearby and not further in the apartment, "Oh. Hey boys." The smaller boy pads over to the couch and falls into Zayn's lap. Zayn's arms snake around his waist immediately and Louis slings his arms around the dark haired boy's neck. Niall watches with interest, saying nothing as Louis looks back at him, like he was expecting a certain reaction.

"You told him?" Louis pouts, sending Zayn an accusing stare.

"Well if you could keep your hands to yourself for five minutes he wouldn't have seen my hair all messed up," Zayn scolds playfully.

Louis' hands immediately go up to Zayn's hair, running his fingers through it, tousling it further, "Well if someone didn't have such soft hair, I would be able to keep my hands off of it," he counters and pulls on it gently earning a low growl from Zayn. He smirks down at the younger boy.

"Well if you-"

"Ugh, seriously guys," Niall cuts them off, slightly disgusted at the two boys in front of him, "Go fuck already."

Louis perks up, "Great idea Niall! Let's go Zayn." He stands and grabs Zayn's hand, dragging the other boy to the door. A flash of worry floods Niall's body because he doesn't want to be left alone with Harry right now, but he's not quick enough to speak because the door has swung shut loudly behind them.

"You knew about them?" he asks Harry. Just because he didn't want to be in the same room as him right now didn't mean that he was going to pretend that he wasn't here.

Harry's still standing awkwardly by the door when Niall speaks up. He'd kicked off his shoes, but that was it. He watched the whole encounter silently.

"Just found out a little while earlier than you did, I'm guessing," he admits and Niall nods.

"They're pretty cute together, right?"

"I guess," Harry says lamely. He doesn't want to talk about Louis and Zayn, he wants to talk about Niall and Harry.

He takes a mental deep breath and sits on the couch next to Niall cautiously. He's nervous, especially with the intense blue eyes that are watching his every move.

"I have something I want to say," he finally spits out.

Niall gestures for him to continue, thinking that Harry looks absolutely adorable in his oversized grey sweater that he's wearing even though it's hot outside. He wants to get this conversation over with so that hopefully, if things go well, he can cuddle up in Harry's arms.

"I don't really know how to put my thoughts into words, but I'm going to try my best. I like you Niall, like really really like you. Like I like you so much that I can see us together for a long time," Harry rambles cutely, "I don't love my ex or have feelings for him in the slightest. You were right that I needed to get over it and that's why I went to talk to Louis about it. Everything is finally looking up for him and I and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders since our talk. I'm sorry it took you telling me to get my head out of my ass – I heard Louis tell you that the other night – but I'm sorry it took that to get me to talk to him. I should've done it a long time ago and on my own. It's better late than never though right?" He looks up at Niall, desperate to see the blond's reaction.

"Right."

"Right?" Harry echoes, not liking Niall's response.

"How much do you like me?" Niall questions softly, the look in his big blue eyes making the nervousness melt from Harry's body.

"Enough to show you," the taller boy responds steadily before he's grabbing Niall's face in his hands and pressing their lips together feverishly.


	26. Fire and Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know how you don't want people to see you – for lack of a better word – appear?" he asked Niall, feeling the other boy tense, his hands freezing in his hair.
> 
> "Yeah," Niall answered. It wasn't something that he liked talking about, as the boys obviously already knew, but he recognized that they were just as curious as he was.
> 
> Harry didn't want to ask the question now, feeling the way that Niall reacted to it. He didn't dare look up into those dull blue eyes, knowing they would only show the sadness and fear he was trying to avoid.
> 
> "Harry?" Niall asked, shaking him softly. Harry had been so silent and still that he thought he might have fallen asleep. He mentally cursed himself for disturbing the boy, for if he was sleeping then he wouldn't have to answer the dreaded question that he knew was coming.
> 
> "Do you think I could watch you?" Harry asked in a small voice.

"Hey Niall?" Harry whispers tiredly.

After making up (and making out) on the couch for a little bit, the pair had made their way to Harry's room. They lied on his bed, Niall's leg hooked over Harry's hip, as they talked and admired each other. It had seemed like it was Harry's mission to try and make Niall blush as much as possible. He could just barely see the tint of pink in his pale cheeks every time he complimented the boy.

"Yeah?" Niall responds softly, brushing his fingers lightly through Harry's hair. Harry had tried his very best to stay up all night because this was the only time that he got with the blond.

It was oddly comforting, the way Niall's cold fingertips scratched his scalp lightly. The hairs stood on his neck every so often when the other boy's hand moved a little too far down his head, past his hairline and onto his warm neck.

Niall's body was a cool temperature as well, and Harry liked that because he was often too hot when he was trying to sleep. He was so content right now in Niall's arms.

He couldn't help it that his mind wandered off to Niall disappearing once the sun touched the horizon. He knew he'd wake up to an empty bed and that hadn't been sitting well with him, his stomach heavy with sadness.

He wasn't about to ruin their night by bringing it up. Instead, he thought about his next time seeing Niall. There wasn't much that they could do date wise, so he'd been thinking that he would set up a nice romantic dinner for Niall. He would cook his chicken pasta dish from the first night he was forced to hang out with Niall and how it really hadn't been all that bad.

He might even pull out all of the stops, like picking up flowers, moving the table in front of the big living room windows that Niall always liked looking out. He'd get some candles to light and hopefully he could convince Louis to let him borrow his fairy lights to really set the mood.

Harry was giddy just thinking about it. He could picture the smile on Niall's face when he took his first bite of the pasta dish.

"You know how you don't want people to see you – for lack of a better word – appear?" he asked Niall, feeling the other boy tense, his hands freezing in his hair.

"Yeah," Niall answered. It wasn't something that he liked talking about, as the boys obviously already knew, but he recognized that they were just as curious as he was.

Harry didn't want to ask the question now, feeling the way that Niall reacted to it. He didn't dare look up into those dull blue eyes, knowing they would only show the sadness and fear he was trying to avoid.

"Harry?" Niall asked, shaking him softly. Harry had been so silent and still that he thought he might have fallen asleep. He mentally cursed himself for disturbing the boy, for if he was sleeping then he wouldn't have to answer the dreaded question that he knew was coming.

"Do you think I could watch you?" Harry asked in a small voice.

Niall's mouth opened and closed, his brows furrowing, deep in thought. As much as he didn't want someone watching him manifest into his human body for the night, this was Harry. If he wanted anything to happen between the two then he needed to be willing to share.

"I uh–" Niall cut himself off. He wanted to say yes, he did, but a part of him didn't want Harry to watch him clumsily falling when he switched to his body, gasping for air like fish out of water.

Harry felt like an idiot for opening his big gob and asking something so intimate of Niall when they weren't in a relationship of any sorts. He had just been so curious about what it looked like, and he wanted to be there for Niall. It wasn't fair that he had to go through all of this alone.

He sat up a bit, propping his weight on his arm so that he could peer down at Niall, jade eyes big and innocent. "You don't have to say yes," he said, reaching up to caress Niall's cheek, feeling guilty about asking. He sure as hell didn't want to ruin another moment with Niall like he'd done so many times before. "You aren't alone anymore and you don't have to be scared, you know?" he shrugged lamely, not knowing what to say to fix the situation.

Niall watched the younger boy chew on his perfect puffy lips nervously as he awaited his answer.

He doesn't know what possessed him to say it. Maybe it was the sincere look in Harry's eyes, or his words hitting him like a ton of bricks; you aren't alone anymore.

Niall blurted out a quick, "Yes." His eyes widened and he almost slapped a hand over his mouth, his wrist twitching to do so but he managed to just barely stop himself.

"Yes?" Harry echoed, releasing his lower lip from between his teeth and his eyes widened in surprise, "Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Niall felt something in his heart. A small twang of something that he couldn't quite place. Harry's words sparked something within them, hearing how caring and sweet he sounded gave Niall a push that he didn't know he needed.

"I'm sure," he nodded firmly, a nervous smile gracing his lips, "I'm not really sure what it'll look like, so I'm sorry if I look like a loon."

Harry chuckled and settled into Niall's arms once more, happiness coursing through his body hot like lava, but Niall's cold body cooled him instantly. Fire and ice.

"You could never," he complimented through a yawn. He let his eyes flutter shut, unaware at how adoringly Niall was looking down at him. He peered over the top of Harry's head to check the time on the alarm clock behind him and he suddenly felt guilty for keeping Harry up so late.

"You should sleep," he murmured, his fingers once again finding their place at home tangled in Harry's hair.

"I don't want to," the other boy mumbled tiredly. The brunet prized his eyes open and pouted at the other boy in his bed, "I don't want to miss a second of the time I have with you."

Niall's heart soared and he bit back the biggest grin. He pulled Harry a little closer to him, reveling in the warmth that the bigger boy's body gave off. Being this close to Harry was like sitting in front of the fireplace after having come inside from the blistering cold during the dead of winter. He didn't know he could miss a feeling so much, but he never wanted to let it go.

"I'll be here tomorrow," he softly said, "and the next day, and the day after that. There's really no getting rid of me Styles," he attempted to joke.

"Good," Harry responds drowsily, ignoring the joking tone in Niall's voice. He squeezes the lad tighter in his arms and sighs, content, "Because I don't want you going anywhere."

"I don't want to go anywhere," Niall whispers so quietly that Harry doesn't hear it over the drone of the night time bugs outside.

Harry tries to force his eyes open, body jolting every now and then, and it works a few times. He's able to stay awake for a few minutes at a time before once more he's drifting off into dreamland.

"Sleep," Niall demands gently.

Harry wants to let out a whine of protest, but who is he to refuse when he's so damn comfortable?

He nods lazily against Niall's neck, his warm forehead pressed against Niall's chilly pale skin. He presses a lazy kiss to whatever his lips are closest to, which happens to be right on Niall's Adam's apple. The blond holds in his laughter, not wanting his shaking body to disturb Harry.

"Goodnight Harry."

"Night Nialler."

__________

Harry was utterly impatient with everyone the next day.

He couldn't focus in his classes, grumpy that he even had to be there in the first place.

He opted for writing down his plans for the night and even thought of ideas for future potential date nights that he and Niall could have. So far he had written build a blanket fort and watch movies, bake something together, and he'd even be willing to set up some sort of art project or craft if he couldn't think of any more ideas.

He had also thought of some ideas that they could include the other boys in such as game nights or karaoke.

Harry really wanted to be able to take Niall on dates outside of the apartment. He wanted to show Niall his favorite spots in town. The pizza place, his favorite spot to drive to get away from everything when he was having a bad day, even the place he threw up on the side of the road from when he drank too much.

He wanted Niall to share his favorite places as well. He wanted to know everything about the little lad. He wanted him to be able to go see his family once more in Ireland, but he knew that probably wasn't ever going to be able to happen for him.

He felt so badly for Niall. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like. Dead but not really, never being able to leave some dingy apartment for the rest of eternity. Not even being able to see your family again.

He didn't know too much about Niall's family, but he knew that Niall cared for them deeply, he could see it in his blue eyes and hear it in the way he spoke about them. Harry had an amazing relationship with his family, something he cherished even more now.

Once he was dismissed from class, he met up with Liam quickly for a few minutes, asking him to distract Niall for a little bit while he set up everything for their date. Liam was more than happy to help, glad that Harry had more than come around to the little ghost boy who was living with them.

"And then I need you to leave," Harry finishes. He checks the time on his phone, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground while he waits for Louis to text him back about picking up the lights. He probably has Zayn's dick up his ass, he thinks to himself before shuddering at the mere thought.

Liam laughs lightly, "That I can do."

"Thanks Liam," Harry says, giving him a genuine look, "Thanks for everything actually."

"No need to thank me," Liam pats Harry on the shoulder lovingly, "I knew you'd come around."


	27. Manifestation Fixation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why don't you appear on the bed next time?" Harry asks gently when he opens his eyes and realizes the bed would be a better option for Niall to fall onto. It's softer than the floor, that's for sure.
> 
> "Because your bed makes too much noise," Niall responds, shaking his head lightly and pulling back slightly to peer up at Harry.
> 
> A cheeky grin graces Harry's lips and Niall knows he's said the wrong thing.
> 
> "Don't worry about it, I'm sure it'll be louder when we–"

Harry rushes into his apartment, hands full with heavy grocery bags and his backpack on his back. He slams the door shut behind him with his foot and rushes into the kitchen. He sets the bags down on the floor and sighs, rubbing his stinging fingers to get the blood flowing again.

"Why didn't you text me?" Liam bounds into the kitchen from his room when he had heard the door slam shut, "I could've helped you." He grabs one of the bags nearest him and begins to unload it.

"Didn't think of it until I had all the bags in my hands and I could barely get into the building," Harry responds, helping his roommate put away the groceries he'd bought.

Liam asks him about his day and after they finish putting everything away they get a little distracted by their conversation. Harry feels the familiar rush of cold, startling him. He peers over Liam's shoulder to check the time on the microwave and his eyes widen.

"Sorry Li," he rushes out, already turned to quickly make his way to his room. He curses himself for losing track of time when he had planned everything out perfectly earlier. "We'll finish this conversation later!"

Liam stares confused at Harry's now shut door before shaking his head and making his way back into his own room to finish reading the chapter he needed for homework.

Harry leans back against the door for a second. He's quick to sit on the edge of his bed and face the open area of the room next to his bed. He pulls his legs up onto the bed to give Niall the most room that he can.

His heart is racing. Harry doesn't know why he's so nervous to see Niall manifest in front of him. He hopes that it won't be as bad as he's thinking it will be.

Seconds feel like hours while he's waiting in anticipation for Niall to appear. He checks the time on his phone every time the phone locks and the screen turns black he's pressing the button to turn it on again.

The sun finally dips behind the horizon and then it happens.

A thin mist begins to swirl around the space on the floor in front of Harry. He unconsciously grips the sheets in his hands tight and holds his breath.

The haze grows thicker rapidly. It's so thick that he can't see through it. He doesn't see Niall's body appearing out of thin air but he hears the loud thump his body makes when it hits the ground and there's Niall, flipping over onto his back and gasping out for air.

He does kind of look like a fish out of water, he thinks.

He watches worriedly, not sure what to do. He rushes off of the bed to Niall's side, placing a hand on his shoulder as a way to try and comfort the blond boy who looks so weak and helpless right now. Blue eyes big and round, gazing at him scaredly.

Niall is scared. He doesn't know what Harry's reaction is going to be and he's embarrassed by the way he manifests. He's tried everything. He's tried manifesting in different positions to try and ease the fall but that hasn't worked. He always ends up gasping for air, even though he doesn't really need the air at all since he is dead after all, it's just his body's natural response to forming lungs each night.

His blond hair is disheveled, falling back so that the dent in his forehead is noticeable. Harry tries not to stare.

Niall's sitting up quickly, fixing his hair so that it's covering the entry wound. Harry's hand falls off of his shoulder and down his back where he stops it and helps him sit up.

Harry's not sure what to say. His mind can barely comprehend what he's just witnessed. It was nothing really that special, he couldn't even see much due to the fog that clouded his room when it happened, but the fact that it was Niall and this is what he had to live with everyday was scary to think about.

"So," Niall coughed, clearing away the tickling feeling in his throat. He ducked his head and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He'd hoped Harry would be the first one to say something, but by the look of shock in his mossy eyes, he knew this wouldn't be the case. "How'd it look?"

Niall's question pulled Harry back into reality, "Uh, it was alright."

"Alright?" Niall asked, cocking his head to the side cutely, "That's...good?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I mean I didn't really see much. There was a thick mist and then I saw you falling onto the floor."

"Oh," Niall shrugs, "That's not too bad I guess. At least it's not as embarrassing as the gasping for air shit."

"Yeah, that was a little funny," Harry admits and smiles softly, rubbing soft circles on Niall's back.

Niall shakes his head, "I'm glad you found it amusing," he smiles up at Harry, "As much fun as being on the floor is, I'd like to stand up."

"Right," the taller boy responds, removing his hand from Niall's back and standing quickly. He offers a hand out to Niall who gives him a thankful look and grabs it.

Once he's stood upright, he catches Harry by surprise by hugging him tightly around his waist. His body is warm, like always, and Niall's missed it all day.

Harry gets over his initial shock from Niall hugging him and he wraps his arms around Niall, one hand holding the base of the blonds head firmly into his chest, his other hand draped around the shorter boy's waist.

It's comforting, holding Niall like this. The position makes him feel like he's protecting the smaller lad from all of the bad in the world. He rests his head on top of Niall's and closes his eyes, revelling in the hug. He's glad Niall's in human form now.

He wants Niall like this all of the time.

Harry knows that isn't a possibility right now. He pushes the thought from his mind and decides he needs to cherish the time he has with Niall now because at sunrise he'll be gone once more.

"Why don't you appear on the bed next time?" Harry asks gently when he opens his eyes and realizes the bed would be a better option for Niall to fall onto. It's softer than the floor, that's for sure.

"Because your bed makes too much noise," Niall responds, shaking his head lightly and pulling back slightly to peer up at Harry.

A cheeky grin graces Harry's lips and Niall knows he's said the wrong thing.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure it'll be louder when we–"

"Okay," Niall cuts him off, a light blush dusting his cheeks. He covers Harry's mouth with his hand quickly. The curly haired boy's laugh is muffled by his fingers.

"You're no fun," Harry pouts, crossing his arms once Niall's pulled his hand away.

"Oh I can assure you that I am in fact, very fun," Niall winks and now Harry's the one blushing.

Neither boy looks away from the other. The room is starting to feel a little stuffy with the sexual tension between them.

Niall swallows hard as he stares into Harry's lust filled eyes. The taller boy is breathing heavier at the thought of tossing Niall down onto the bed right here, right now. Too bad he decided to be a propped gentleman tonight.

And the fact that the walls were thin and Liam was still there.

"You'll have to prove it sometime," Harry says, his voice raspier than normal. He's walking a thin line with his self control right now, but he'd love to see how Niall reacts.

"If you're worth it, I will," Niall challenges seriously. He wanted Harry, but he didn't want this to be a messy fling because he won't be getting out of it easily if something were to happen.

"I guess I have something to prove then too," the younger boy responds, making a mental note to treat Niall better than he's ever been treated before. He didn't want to fuck this - what he was hoping would turn into a relationship - up.

"I suppose you do."

"How about I start by making you dinner," Harry says, taking one of Niall's hands in his and twirling him around. The sound of Niall's laugh makes his heart soar. "Our first date."

"Date?"

"Yeah, is that okay?" Harry asks nervously.

"It's okay, but I don't remember you asking me on a date," Niall responds, poking Harry's cheek with his finger playfully.

Harry's face turns bright red. Between how tired he's been, school, work, and trying to get the date situated, he'd forgotten to actually ask Niall on the date. How embarrassing.

"Shit. I uh–we can–would you–"

"Shh. Harry it's okay," Niall reassures, feeling slightly bad for teasing him, "I would've said yes anyways. It's a date."

"Thank God," Harry sighs in relief, "Because I've got it all planned out already."

"Oh yeah?" Niall replies, moved that Harry would go through all of this trouble for him, "What are we doing for this date?"

Harry grins, "That I can't tell you."

"Please," Niall pleads, jutting out his bottom lip.

"Nope," Harry shakes his head playfully, "All I'll tell you is that I'm making you dinner, but you're going to go hang out with Liam for a bit while I do that."

"Or I can help you make dinner," Niall suggests, not wanting to be away from Harry.

The taller boy leads Niall out of the room.

He taps a finger on his chin, pretending to think about it, "Hmm. No, I don't think so."

Niall huffs and stomps lightly over to Liam's room, a pout on his face. When he reaches Liam's door he glances over at Harry who is leaning against the doorframe to his own room. He may or may not have been watching Niall's ass in those tight little jeans as he stalked away from him.

"Go on," Harry forces himself to say, hands placed strategically over his semi-hard dick in his pants. He didn't want to ruin his night with Niall. I'll ruin him later.

"Fine," Niall grumbles, knocking on Liam's door and waiting patiently until he hears a shout for him to come in.

With one more glance at Harry, he pushes the door open and goes inside.


	28. So Fucking Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm sorry for cutting you off Z, I'm just so nervous."
> 
> "Why?"
> 
> "Hm, let's think about this," Niall huffs, "Oh! Maybe it's because I'm dead!"

"Liam, I'm so nervous," Niall mutters, pacing the length of Liam's room for the umpteenth time, "Do I even look okay?"

Liam rolls his eyes and stands from his chair where he was working on some homework. Niall had been far too distracting since he'd entered the room. He places his hands on Niall's shoulders and gives him a small shake to gather his attention fully, the blonds big blue eyes meeting his. "Niall, mate, it's okay. It's going to be great. And no offense, you look the same as you do everyday."

"Is that bad?" Niall's eyes widen with worry, "I don't have anything else to wear!"

Liam shakes his head, immediately feeling guilty, "That's not what I meant Ni, I'm sorry it came out that way. You look great, honest, but if you want to change into something else you're more than welcome to borrow something of mine."

"Really?" Niall perks up.

Liam lets out a chuckle and nods, "Yeah, of course."

"Thank you so much Li," Niall hugs the older boy tightly before he's walking over to the closet and pulling the doors open. His eyes wander through the full closet. He sifts through the assortment of tank tops and flannels, his face scrunching up because who could own this many flannels?

Don't get him wrong, he loved a good flannel, it's a staple in most people's closets, but Liam had one too many.

Niall smiles when he comes across something, "Aha!" He turns to Liam, holding up a black henley shirt, "What do you think about this?"

"Simple, but comfortable. I like it," Liam compliments and Niall gives him a smile. He places Liam's shirt onto his bed before slipping out of his own. Liam can't help but sneak a glance from his spot at his desk. His stomach twists seeing just how white Niall's skin really is. He often forgets that Niall is dead.

Liam looks away guiltily as the hem of the shirt reaches the top of Niall's pants.

"Well? How do I look?" Niall turns dramatically, laughing to himself.

"You look great Niall," Liam says softly. He wears a small, sad smile but Niall doesn't notice.

"Thanks again Liam," Niall responds and sits on the edge of Liam's bed, "I'm gonna call Z."

Liam leaves a few minutes into Niall's call with Zayn, whispering a "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," on his way out of the room. Niall rolls his eyes playfully, a big grin on his face, but as soon as the door shuts behind Liam and he's left in the room alone, his nerves start to work up again.

"Zayn, seriously, I'm freaking out here," Niall interrupts Zayn's story about his sister trying to sneak a bunny she found into the backyard into the house without their parents knowing.

"You're right Niall, that wasn't a very interesting story at all," Zayn responds sarcastically, and Niall knows that his best mate is rolling his eyes at him right now.

"I'm sorry for cutting you off Z, I'm just so nervous."

"Why?"

"Hm, let's think about this," Niall huffs, "Oh! Maybe it's because I'm dead!"

"No need to get snippy mister," Zayn scolds.

"Zayn," Niall whines, "Seriously."

"Seriously Niall, you don't have anything to worry about. Don't think about that because I know that Harry won't be. Just be there with him, relax and have a good time. It's a date, a date at home. People do that all of the time."

Niall sighs, "I guess." He's still nervous.

Zayn responds but Niall's not listening. He hears Harry calling him from the living room, his voice getting louder and then there's a knock on the door. "Niall?"

"Z I gotta go," Niall scrambles off of the bed and looks into the mirror, straightening out his shirt and flattening his hair down more.

"Alright, good luck Ni. And use protection!"

"As if anything like that can happen anyways," Niall mutters and hangs up the phone, a pang of sadness striking him. Being a ghost has sure turned him a little more insecure about himself.

He shakes his head as there's another knock at the door. He swallows nervously and unconsciously wipes his hands on his pants, though he hasn't sweat one ounce since dying.

He pulls open the door and his breath leaves his body at how breathtaking Harry looks. He's changed into a fun patterned button down shirt, and dark jeans with rips at the knees. His eyes trail from his face to his exposed chest, shivering slightly as he feels a few butterflies in his stomach.

"Like what you see?" Harry asks, biting his lip to hold back a smirk. He loves the faint dusting of blush on Niall's cheeks.

"Is that on the menu tonight?" Niall squeaks, eyes still trailing their way down Harry's body.

Harry sucks in a breath and swears quietly, "This is dessert."

Niall swallows hard.

He fucking hopes so.

"I, uh," Niall stutters, not having a response. He scratches the back of his head, "Should we?"

Harry's brows furrow, all thoughts of his perfectly planned date fly right out of his head, "Right now?"

Niall feels like his face is bright red right now but from where Harry is standing it's still barely visible. The pinkness of his cheeks and the dull blue of his eyes pops beautifully against his stark white complexion.

"I mean eat," Niall murmurs quietly, eyes still locked on Harry's as he shifts uneasily.

"Oh," Harry blinks, shaking his head a little to rid the arousing thoughts from his head, "Right, yeah. Come on."

And just like that the tension in the air disappears as Harry holds his hand out for Niall to take. The blond smiles and places his hand in Harry's and sighs happily to himself, the warmth of Harry's hand in his own relaxing him.

He looks up from their hands and gasps, stopping in his tracks. Harry's set up the table nicely, candles lit and flowers in the center. Christmas lights illuminated the room with romantic lighting. The sun was setting through the big windows that Niall was so fond of, casting a warm glow throughout the room.

"I used these because I know you like looking at the stars and it isn't dark out yet," Harry says sheepishly after he's tugged Niall closer to the table. He gestures to the lights as he pulls Niall's chair out for him.

Niall's heart soars.

"It's beautiful Harry," Niall says, looking up at the tall boy with sparkling eyes, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Harry responds softly. He can't stop himself from leaning down to peck Niall on the lips because he just looked so breathtaking and happy in this moment.

The kiss is tender, Harry's warm lips pressed against Niall's cool ones, and it's perfect.

It ends all too soon for the both of them, but Harry knows that they should eat before the food he's made gets cold.

"Wine?" he asks, grabbing the bottle from the ice bucket he'd set up on the table. He didn't care what it cost, he was going to make this night perfect for Niall.

"Please," Niall responds, sliding his glass closer to Harry so that he can pour it.

Niall waits until Harry's glass is full, then raises his glass. Harry follows suit.

"To us," Niall says with a cheesy smile that has Harry's heart beating slightly faster.

"To us," he agrees.

Niall takes a sip, the bitter taste making his lips pucker slightly. It's good, though.

They chat for a few minutes, Niall asking Harry how his job and school are going. He thinks he's just asking because he's nervous, Harry doesn't really want to talk about how terrible school is or how boring his job is, he wants to learn about Niall. The things that make him laugh, his ticks, his dreams, everything.

But he answers anyways, because he certainly isn't going to ruin the night by complaining.

The timer on the oven sounds, pulling them away from their conversation.

"I'll be right back," Harry says, standing from the table and turning to walk into the kitchen.

Niall swirls his wine in his glass, taking a long, slow sip as he watches Harry's bum in those tight jeans. It's going well.

Harry comes back, two plates in hand, and sets one down in front of Niall who straightens in his seat at the sight of food. It smells incredible.

"Thank you."

"I hope you like it as much as you did last time," Harry says with a nervous smile. He remembered how well Niall had reacted when he'd made the same chicken and pasta dish. He wanted to see that look on Niall's face again.

"I'm sure I will," Niall twirls some of the pasta onto his fork, his mouth already watering. Harry watches on eagerly, "Best thing I ever ate."

Harry's heart swells at the words.

Just like last time, as soon as the food touches his tongue his mouth is exploding with the different flavors. Niall throws his head back in ecstasy, barely holding back a moan at the taste.

"So. Fucking. Good."


	29. Helpless at Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Shhh," Liam soothes, "You're okay, you're okay, you're–" alive, "here."

Niall can't stop thinking about last night.

He'd spent all morning watching Harry. He didn't wander too close because he didn't want to spook him, but he admired the smile ghosting Harry's lips all morning, even when he had been woken up by his alarm after just a few hours of sleep to head to class. Neither of them had wanted the night to end.

Thankfully, Harry had succumbed to sleep half an hour before Niall disappeared for the day. Niall watched a peaceful Harry, who despite how cold Niall's body felt, snuggled up into him comfortably anyway. Niall gently played with his hair and watched with a fond face until he was no longer in his body.

Niall's lounging around, replaying the date in his head for the upteenth time with a grin on his face when he hears a yell from outside.

He jumps from his spot quickly and makes his way over to the big window that he loves. It has a clear view of the street down below and what he witnesses makes him sick to his stomach.

There's a man with a dirty baseball cap on, blocking Niall from seeing his face. He's trying to pull an older woman's purse away from her, who is trying her best not to give it up to the man. He's easily two times bigger than her, but she's putting up as good as a fight as she can.

Niall watches, frozen to his spot.

The man pushes her, and she steps back, not realizing that she's standing next to the curb. When her foot doesn't make contact with the sidewalk where she thought it would, Niall sees the surprise on her face and she's falling backwards into the street, hands coming down too late to catch her and he winces when her head slams into the ground.

Niall's screaming, pounding on the glass, tears blurring his vision. The robber looks shocked for a moment, hesitating when he doesn't see the woman make any sort of movement, but then he's sprinting down the block away from her.

Niall falls to his knees, praying that someone will help her because he can't. He tries to calm himself the best that he can, to try and see if he can see how injured she is, but she hasn't moved in a few minutes and he thinks the worst.

He dry heaves and slaps a hand over his mouth trying to stifle his cries, not that he needs too, he knows from experience that no one can hear him.

Niall's not sure how much time has passed before someone turns up the street and notices her. It's a group of four girls, shopping bags hooked over their elbows, laughing about something. He watches one of them stop in her tracks, eyes open wide, and it would've been funny if there weren't a possible dead body lying in the street.

Her friends are a few steps ahead when they notice their friend has fallen behind. Two turn towards her, questioning looks on their faces, but the other finally notices the woman in the street and he can hear her scream, high-pitched and scared. One of the other girls drops her bags and immediately jumps into the street, checking for a pulse. She turns back to her friend and makes a hand gesture and Niall can't quite read her lips.

Another one of them pulls her phone out and presses it to her ear, pacing worriedly as she watches her friend. Niall presumes she's on the phone with emergency services.

He watches on numbly as they all wait for the ambulance, he watches while they help her onto a stretcher and take her away, watches as the group of girls talk to the police, and he watches for a long time after everyone is gone and the little pool of blood on the street dries.

***

He hasn't managed to pull away from the window when Liam walks into the apartment just after the sun has set. He's carrying a large hot pizza in his hands and he's exhausted after a long day of school and his internship. He's absolutely ready for a chill night with the lads, binging on pizza and junk while playing video games or watching a movie.

He's immediately concerned when he enters his home and sees Niall curled up on himself, head resting on the windowsill and dull blue eyes staring at nothing. Liam's heart skips because of how dead the faux blond looked.

"Niall?" He's not sure if Niall heard him because his voice came out no higher than a whisper.

Niall bites his bottom lip as hard as he can, but he barely feels a thing. He's been waiting all day for someone to come home, and he'd been sobbing on and off since the accident that unfolded outside, and he's trying to hold it in now, but he can't wrap his head around the fact that he may have just watched someone getting murdered right before his eyes.

He lets out a sob and buries his head in his hands, trying to curl himself into an even smaller ball on the floor.

He hears Liam drop his book bag and something else onto the table before there's strong arms being locked around him and he's pulled into his friends arms.

"Hey, hey, you okay?" Liam's stumbling over his words, worriedly checking over his friend, grabbing his face in his hands and examining him closely. He swallows hard when he pushes Niall's hair back, thumb brushing over the indentation in the middle of his forehead. Then he pulls him back into his arms.

"I–she, oh god," Niall's unable to get words out, he's crying too hard.

"Shhh," Liam soothes, "You're okay, you're okay, you're–" alive, "here."

Niall shakes his head and hides his face further into Liam's neck. The older boy gets shivers from Niall's cold skin pressing against him, but he just tugs him closer.

Once he's gotten Niall to calm down a little, he guides him to the couch. He doesn't let Niall stray far, he pulls him into his side and rubs his back softly, until he dares ask what's on his mind.

"Ni?" Liam cautiously asks, "Wanna tell me why you're crying?"

He's pretty sure that the date had gone well last night, assuming from the shit-eating grin Harry had on his face all throughout lunch. That and the fact that he wouldn't stop gushing about it.

He doesn't ask again, still trying his best to calm Niall and not push him to tell him what's wrong. When Niall finally speaks, it's barely a whisper.

"I think I watched someone get," Niall chokes on the last word. His throat gets tight again and he's pressing the heels of his hands into his burning eyes, willing himself not to lose it again, "Murdered."

Liam's movements stop. "What?" This was the last thing he was expecting to come out of the blonds mouth.

Niall swallows hard, he can't say it again.

"Where?" he hears Liam ask him softly.

"Outside the window," he whimpers, "Someone was mugging her. I tried Liam," he looks desperately up at the other boy, like he's not going to believe him. Niall's eyes are beaten red and for someone who doesn't need sleep, he looks like he hadn't slept in ages.

Liam's sure he would be feeling the same way about the situation as Niall if he had seen the same thing, but a tiny part of Liam wonders if it's affecting him as badly as it is because Niall had been murdered too.

Liam furrows his brows. He hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary on his way home, but he had also been distracted by the smell of the pizza in his hands and fishing the keys out of his pocket.

"Do you want me to call Harry or Zayn?"

"Yes please." Niall doesn't specify who because either of them coming to comfort him would be the best thing he could ask for.

"Okay, I'll get you some tea as well," Liam whispers. He pecks Niall on the head and stands. He lets Niall curl up on the couch and he runs to his room quickly for the heated blanket he'd bought before he knew Niall was the one causing the cold spots. He plugs it in, sets it to the highest setting, and drapes it over Niall, who's lying with his eyes closed and sniffling occasionally.

He leaves him with a nervous glance over his shoulder, because it's not like the younger boy can leave the apartment anyways.

Liam fills the kettle and sets it on the stove to boil while simultaneously pulling out his phone. He makes a quick call to Harry who unsurprisingly doesn't answer because he was in the middle of a workday, so he calls Zayn next.

He holds his breath until he finally answers, "Hey Liam, what's up?"

"Zayn," Liam lets out a sigh of relief, "It's Niall. He–"

Zayn cuts him off, "I'm on my way."

Zayn ends the call and Liam stares at his phone for a second before he busies himself, quickly getting the cups and tea out to make some for Niall. By the time he's setting Niall's cup on the table in front of him the door bursts open.

Zayn looks like he'd just run five miles with the sheen of sweat on his forehead and his labored breathing. Louis trails in after him.

"Jesus Zayn, I didn't know you could run so fast. And in those fucking boots nonetheless," he goes quiet when he sees Niall curled up in a small ball on the couch, sobbing.

He doesn't even glance Liam's way when he passes him. The discards his leather jacket on the back of the couch and scoops a crying Niall into his arms.

"You okay buddy?" he soothes.

Niall hugs his friend tight and shakes his head. Zayn spends a few minutes trying to calm the blond down and coax whatever is wrong out of him, while Liam and Louis watch on, perching on the coffee table across from them.

When Niall looks at Liam with pleading eyes he raises an eyebrow in question and with a small nod, Niall gives him permission to tell the boys what he saw today.

"I'll try and call Harry," Louis murmurs to Liam. He moves into the kitchen where it's quieter.

It takes four phone calls and two worried voicemails for Harry to finally answer his phone.

"What's wrong?" he asks urgently. He'd ignored all of the voicemails and messages; he was about to call Louis back when the latter ended up calling him first.

"Niall witnessed someone possibly get murdered outside the apartment," Louis winces.

All of the air leaves Harry's lungs, "What?"

"He's pretty torn up. It was when the sun was up, so there wasn't anything he could do but watch," Louis explains quietly, peeking over his shoulder and into the living room. Liam's joined in, cuddling Niall's other side.

He hears Harry shouting to his boss faintly and there's some shuffling before he returns, "I'll be home in five."

Louis hangs up the phone and tucks himself into Zayn's other side. He lays his head on Zayn's shoulder, reaches across the dark haired boy and grabs Niall's hand in his, running this thumb soothingly over his knuckles.

It's quiet except for the occasional sniffle from Niall. They hear Harry's pounding footsteps racing up the hall and Louis has to hold in his laugh.

Harry looks almost as bad as Zayn had. His breathing is uneven and his cheeks are rosy. His hair is all tangled from the wind. He pauses for a moment, seeing all of his friends snuggling Niall on the couch; and if he didn't know the reason why, he'd coo.

Liam scoots away so Harry can replace him. Reluctantly Zayn lets Niall go and Harry holds him close. He already knows the situation, so he doesn't ask. He presses a chaste kiss to Niall's forehead and lets him burrow further into him.

The five of them sit on the couch together. It's a little cramped and Zayn's sweating from all of the body heat and the electric blanket he's sharing with Niall, but they're all comforted in their own way. It's a sweet moment despite the circumstance.

"Guys," Niall finally speaks up. His voice is void of emotion. "I don't wanna be a ghost anymore."


	30. Never Been So Defenceless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yeah, I think Niall would be upset if he finds out that we're all hanging out when he's stuck at home," Zayn adds. He presses his lips into a firm line, thinking about his best friend.

It's two weeks after the incident when Harry asks his friends to meet him at a cafe not far from their apartment. They've managed to get Niall almost fully back to himself, having seen on the news that the woman had a concussion and was a little bruised up, but she'd be fine. He was still down in the dumps that he couldn't help her, and he blamed himself for it no matter what his friends said otherwise, but he seemed happier and more like himself as the days went by.

"What are we doing here?" Louis asks, taking a seat next to Harry and placing his muffin and tea on the table.

"Yeah, I think Niall would be upset if he finds out that we're all hanging out when he's stuck at home," Zayn adds. He presses his lips into a firm line, thinking about his best friend.

"Then don't tell him," Harry says plainly, but he continues to explain why he asked them all to meet, "I wanted to talk to you all somewhere he wouldn't hear us." There's a guilty feeling in Harry's stomach when he says this, but he shakes his head. He's doing this for Niall's benefit. "We have to do something."

"What do you mean?" Liam asks, nervous about what he'll hear in response.

"I don't know," Harry hangs his head and sighs, "But he's suffering."

A grim silence falls upon the table, each one of them thinking sadly about the poor boy who's trapped in the apartment a few blocks away.

"We've tried Harry," Zayn starts, his eyes downcast to the table top, "We've scoured the internet and library for hours, and for what? We didn't find anything useful. What if there's nothing that can help him?"

"But what if there is something that can?" Harry's really trying to be hopeful, he is, but when Zayn had opened his mouth and didn't think there was anything to be done, Harry's shoulders slumped with dread. He liked Niall, a little more than he even knew, and all he wanted was for the boy to be able to experience the life that was cut so short. And Harry wanted to be there with him.

"If there is, then I don't know where to find it," Zayn admits with a sad shrug. Of course he didn't want to be looking at the situation like it was a glass half empty, but he'd tried to help his friend and they'd come up with nothing.

He knows that if the roles were reversed, Niall would never stop trying for him, and here he is, saying that there's nothing that can be done for the blond.

"There has to be something that we haven't found," Harry states, glaring at Zayn for how easily he's seeming to give up on his best friend.

Louis, steps in for Zayn, "What are we supposed to do? Wish on a star?"

Won't work, I've tried it already, Harry thinks. "No." He's getting pissed off at the lack of support from the other boys. They're all supposed to be Niall's friend, and now here they are, not even trying to help. He feels like he's the only one that truly cares about Niall at this moment, and he's the one who's known him the least because of his stubborn attitude towards the ghost boy.

He looks to Liam, pleadingly, but the other boy shakes his head helplessly, not knowing what to do either. The curly haired boy sighs and slumps back into his seat in defeat.

"There has to be something."

"Have you ever heard of someone being brought back from the dead? Because I sure haven't," Louis states.

Harry's head snaps up and he's sending a sharp glare towards his friend. "No. I haven't heard of such a thing. It sounds ridiculous and if it were a thing no one would even mention it because people would go crazy with how scared they'd be. Niall isn't supposed to be what he is, but he's still here somehow, so we can't rule it out."

Zayn and Louis exchange a glance. They're a little worried about Harry now, with the way that he's speaking.

Harry's eyes narrow and his fists clench when he sees the faces Zayn and Louis are pulling towards each other. He stands from his chair quickly and it slides loudly behind him and almost tips backwards, but the legs slam back to the floor loudly, drawing all of the attention to their table.

"If you lot won't fucking help him I'll do it myself," he mutters. His voice is quiet and angry, noticing the gazes of the other patrons.

Harry shoves his hands deep into his pockets and spins on his heel, quickly walking away from his friends. He's almost out the door when he hears the ruckus of them pushing away from the table and chasing after him.

He doesn't stop, but they catch up to him on the sidewalk quickly.

"Harry wait," Louis calls.

Liam grabs his arm and receives a mean glare from the taller boy, but he doesn't remove his arm until Harry's stopped and tapping his foot impatiently on the ground. He just wants to go back to the apartment and see Niall.

They've been so smitten with each other after their first date. Harry was happy that he was the one Niall wanted to be held by after the incident and he gladly held Niall to his chest all night, running his fingers through his hair and speaking soft words of affirmation into the blonds ear. Harry was at the stage where he didn't want to be far from Niall. He'd drape an arm across his waist or hang over his shoulder when he was around, they couldn't seem to get enough of each other.

"We want to help mate," Zayn starts but Harry's quick to jump in.

"Then help."

"We don't know what to do," Louis cries out.

"Me neither," Harry yells. The other three boys go silent, their eyes wide as they watch Harry explode. "I don't fucking know what to do either, but there has to be something. There has to be. I can't just sit and watch him go through that anymore. He doesn't deserve it."

Zayn places a hand gently on his shoulder. Harry can see the sadness swimming in his eyes, "We know mate. He's the last one who would've deserved something like this."

Any of them can see how much this is affecting both Harry and Niall. Niall's getting irritated with being stuck inside, no matter how much he tries to play off that he's fine. Harry looks like he hasn't slept in days, which is most likely the case since he can only spend time with the ghost boy during the night. They all know Harry's too stubborn to take a night off and get some well needed rest.

"Let's just go back to the flat and relax for a bit. We'll revisit the idea with you in a few days Harry," Liam suggests gently. "We can each try and think of some ideas in the meantime."

Harry nods soberly before he stuffs his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans, shrugs Zayn's hand off of his shoulder and turns to lead the way back to the apartment. He's tired and annoyed; he doesn't think that this is something that can wait, they've done that long enough, but it's one against three and there's no way he'd win the fight.

He'll just have to figure something out on his own.

The walk back is silent. Liam keeps glancing over at Harry worriedly, and he's trying to think of a way he can coax the taller boy to take a nap. He knows that Niall will be around when they get back to the apartment and that Harry will want to stay up with them, but he looks like he could use a good sleep right now. Maybe he'll have a word with Niall about it.

Louis and Zayn's hands are intertwined loosely, swaying between them. Zayn's always been pretty quiet, so it's not unlike him to be quiet, but Louis is at a loss of words for what he thinks is the first time in his life. He aches for his friends, but he has got no clue what to do and he feels like he should since he was the one that believed Niall was a ghost in the first place.

Niall's lounging on the couch watching a show on Netflix that Louis had recommended. He's tossing popcorn up in the air and trying unsuccessfully to catch it in his mouth. Another piece falls onto the carpet below, settling next to another one of the many pieces scattered there but he can't be arsed with cleaning it up right now. He's bored as hell.

He hears keys being inserted into the lock and he perks up immediately, placing the bowl onto the coffee table. He tries to scoop up the popcorn from the floor quickly but he's dropping it and furrowing his brows when Harry walks into the room, head hung.

He comes straight for Niall, not even bothering to kick off his shoes or remove his coat. He cruses the popcorn underneath his feet and falls limply onto Niall who immediately wraps him up and holds him close.

He's not sure if he should ask what's wrong, and he twists his head the best he can to see the other three boys walking in through the door and removing their coats. Niall ignores the pang he feels that he couldn't be outside of the apartment hanging out with all of his friends.

He shoots a questioning glance at the others, but Liam's the only one that meets his gaze and he mouths later, so Niall just nods and runs his fingers through Harry's soft hair and pecks his forehead a few times comfortingly.

Zayn and Louis make themselves comfortable on the other side of the new L-shaped couch that had been delivered earlier this week, a decision made by all of them to get rid of the ratty old one that was too small for all of them. The new suede couch is more than big enough to accommodate all of them now, not that any of them really minded all that much to be cuddled up with each other.

Liam dips into the kitchen to grab the broom and dustpan before he heads back to the living room to sweep up the mess Niall and Harry made with the popcorn. Niall gives Liam a sheepish look and apologizes softly, as he feels Harry's body go slack, asleep now.

Liam shakes his head and mutters, "Don't worry about it."

Louis grabs for the remote to the TV when Liam moves to toss away the trash. He flicks through Netflix to find a movie they've never seen. He settles for a new comedy that just came out and Liam settles in between Louis and Niall who can barely move because of Harry's dead weight on him, but he doesn't complain, it's a little comforting and it's not like he's going to smother the blond; he's already dead for God's sake.

Harry sleeps through the first movie, sleeps through Zayn and Louis going to pick up some food for all of them, and he sleeps through their quiet conversation about him.

He doesn't wake up from his peaceful slumber until his phone's alarm is going off, telling him that he needs to get ready for class, and Niall's already disappeared for the day.


	31. Here We Go Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I told you son, I'm a powerful psychic," she waves her fingers in the air mockingly and chuckles at the look on Harry's face. "Just kidding boy, the hickey on your neck gave it away."

"I knew you'd be back." He's barely stepped one foot over the threshold before she speaks and he can hear the smirk in her voice.

Harry smiles sheepishly up at the woman before stepping the rest of the way inside the small house. Everything was exactly how it was weeks ago. The smell is still as overwhelming as it was back then too and Harry curses mentally. He had just gotten the stench out of the clothes he wore last time he was here.

"Hi," he responds quietly, stepping up to the counter.

"Went ahead and fell in love did ya?" she grins like a cheshire cat up at him.

Harry's eyes widen in shock, "How did you know?"

"I told you son, I'm a powerful psychic," she waves her fingers in the air mockingly and chuckles at the look on Harry's face. "Just kidding boy, the hickey on your neck gave it away."

Harry flushes and his hand instinctively goes to cover up the mark Niall had left on his neck. He opens his mouth to speak but snaps it shut when he realizes what she's said.

Went ahead and fell in love did ya?

Fell in love.

Love.

Is he in love with Niall? He sure as hell didn't jump to tell her he wasn't in love or run out of the house like last time. It hasn't been that long since they started going out but he doesn't have an undeniable bond with the boy. I mean he's trying to bring him back to life, after all.

It's just the honeymoon stage, he tells himself.

He notices she's giving him a questioning glance, her gray eyebrow raised slightly, so he shakes the thought from his mind and tries to remember why he came to see her in the first place.

The thought had come to him in the middle of an important test for one of his classes and he'd been so enthralled by the idea of coming to see her that he almost didn't finish the test. He silently thanks the unfortunate soul that suffered a pretty excruciating coughing fit in the middle of the test.

"Um, anyway, I'm here for your help."

"Obviously," she rolls her eyes as she stands from her seat, coming around from behind the desk she stands in the open doorway to the next room. She gestures for Harry to follow her. She guides him towards the table that they sat at last time and he slides into the seat, his foot already shaking up and down anxiously. He hopes she can help.

She is slow to take her seat across from him and he can barely hold his tongue. Harry's not sure how exactly he should word what he wants or if she'll just think he's crazy, get a good laugh from what he's about to say, and kick him out on his way.

If this doesn't work, he doesn't know what he can do to help Niall.

"What is it you're here for?" she asks, a soft and comforting smile on her face like she can sense what he's feeling. And for all he knows, she can.

Harry lets out a breath, his eyes flicking from the ugly pattern on the tablecloth and back up to meet her gaze. His stomach is churning and his heart is racing and when did it get so hot in there? He's unsure if he should even say what's going on and he thinks he should've brought one of his friends with.

Louis would be having an absolute field day with this.

"Do you know how to bring someone back to life?" The words fall from his mouth before he can even think. He slaps a hand over his mouth quickly, and stares at the woman across the table with wide eyes.

She doesn't seem fazed by his question. Her head is cocked to the side in curiosity as she studies the young boy in front of her. He'd seemed troubled the last time they met, but she can read clear as day that he's more distressed than ever.

"Who is it you're looking to bring back?" she asks instead of answering his question.

Harry's brows furrow. He doesn't see why this is an important question and all he's really looking for is an answer to his own question. If she's trying to waste his time, he doesn't want anything to do with her or this place.

He takes his chances though, reminding himself that he needs to stay calm and collected (as much as he can) for Niall's sake.

"Um, just someone I know?" he responds lamely, not knowing how to tell her that his boyfriend is currently half-dead.

"Someone important?"

He nods, "Very."

Harry wonders if she already knows who he's asking about. He doesn't really know how great of a psychic she is, but he's believed in her powers enough to find himself here again, so he's trying to have faith.

"Messing with the dead isn't a game," she says seriously, her gaze unwavering.

"I wouldn't expect it to be," Harry responds, just as stern.

She narrows her eyes at him, taking in the boy's presence. She takes so long that Harry starts to fidget under her harsh gaze as he breaks eye contact and looks down at his hands that he's wringing together nervously in his lap.

"Why do you want them back?"

He startles at her voice and looks up quickly.

"He didn't deserve it."

"And how do you know?"

"Because he's the most wonderful person I've ever met in my life. He's so genuine and sweet and would do anything for anyone without even asking. He'd take a bullet for anyone," his voice chokes up during his last sentence, but he's quick to clear his throat.

"Sounds like you really loved this person," she comments.

"I do," Harry says, a small smile gracing his lips as he thinks about Niall.

Harry watches as she stands from her spot and walks away from the table to a door opposite the one he'd come in. He sits for a while, stunned at her sudden disappearance and he's not sure if he should follow after her or if he should see himself out.

The house is eerily quiet and it begins to make him feel uneasy. He starts to notice things that he hadn't noticed the first time he'd been here. There was a security camera in the corner of the room, the red recording light taunting him with it's watchful eye.

There was also a porcelain doll sitting on top of a bookshelf. Normally, he wouldn't think twice about seeing it, but in this setting, and with the extensive knowledge of there now being ghosts, he's a little unnerved by it's blank stare.

Harry breathes a sigh of relief when he hears her footsteps getting louder and he visibly relaxes when she reenters the room with a small bottle in her hand.

She takes her seat across from him once more and places the bottle in the center of the table. Harry reaches a hand out and sends a questioning glance towards the woman across from him. When she gives a slight nod he carefully picks up the small bottle and examines the thick, sparkling purple liquid inside.

"What is it?"

"You don't need to know the name, but it'll do what you want it to do," is what he gets as a response.

His mouth drops in shock. This will help bring Niall back to life? His heart soars and he can barely restrain himself from jumping out of his seat and bending across the table to hug the woman silly. He feels slightly bad that he doesn't even know her name, but there's a voice at the back of his head that tells him that she wouldn't tell him anyways.

"How do I use it?" he asks, his voice shaking slightly. He has a vague idea of what he has to do with the mysterious liquid.

"Pour it into the mouth of the one you want to bring back," she says simply, "All of it. Don't be trying to get a taste for yourself."

Harry shakes his head absentmindedly and clutches the bottle in his hand tightly. This feels surreal to him. It was this simple, finally finding an answer for Niall.

His shoulders droop when he thinks about what something like this would cost him. "Surely, I can't afford this."

"This one's on me," she says, "Everyone deserves a chance at love."

"Thank you," his voice is thick with emotion and he has to bite on his lip harshly to stop himself from crying, "You have no idea what this means to me. And what it'll mean to him."

She pats his hand and gives him a smile, "Go on then." She waves him towards the door, "Bring him by when he's back. I want to meet the boy that's got you a mess like this."

"I promise I will." Harry stands from the table and this time he doesn't hesitate to pull her into a tight hug and peck her on the cheek, "Thank you so much..."

"Margery."

Harry sighs, "Thank you Margery."


	32. A Breath of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He examines the vile and he's debating pouring the shimmering liquid into Niall's drink.
> 
> It'd be easy, all he had to do was take a few sips from Niall's beer and pour the liquid in so it didn't overflow. It's not like Niall would be able to taste the difference, he thinks, although a part of him thinks Niall'd be able to taste if he'd tampered with his favorite beer.

Harry stands at the kitchen counter, looking down at the two beers in front of him.

He's been there, contemplating on what to do for so long that the beers sweat condensation, pooling up where the base meets the counter. He's surprised none of the boys had come to check in on him yet, but he knows they're in the middle of a game of Fifa, Niall and Zayn kicking Louis and Liam's asses by the sounds of it.

He'd been trying to figure out the best way to get the potion Margery had given him into Niall. He didn't know if he should come out and tell the blond that he's found a way to make him human once more, but he was worried about how it'd feel if it didn't work.

He examines the vile and he's debating pouring the shimmering liquid into Niall's drink.

It'd be easy, all he had to do was take a few sips from Niall's beer and pour the liquid in so it didn't overflow. It's not like Niall would be able to taste the difference, he thinks, although a part of him thinks Niall'd be able to taste if he'd tampered with his favorite beer.

Someone calls his name loudly from the living room and he nearly drops the small bottle. His heart starts hammering in his chest as he bobbles it between both hands before finally getting a proper grip on it once more. He sighs in relief, shoving it into his pocket quickly before he grabs the drinks and joins the other boys.

He settles into the couch next to Niall, thighs touching and he watches as Niall's player steals the ball from Louis' player – he was not happy, letting out a sharp yell and cursing Niall – and scores another point for his and Zayn's team.

Niall beams at Harry and Harry's heart flutters at the sight. Niall takes the drink he's offering, "Thanks H."

"You're welcome love," Harry responds and goes to lean in for a quick kiss to Niall's lips but Zayn's calling out for his help now that the games reset and Niall turns his head, Harry catching his cheek instead.

"Sorry Hazza," Niall chirps, his eyes staying glued to the screen, "Can't let Lou win."

Harry rolls his eyes fondly and sets his free hand on Niall's leg, above his knee, "No worries," he shrugs. Knowing Louis, he'd probably forced all of them into some stupid bet with him.

Harry lets his mind wander back to what he should do. He'd really wanted to ask the boys their opinion, but by the time he'd made it back to the apartment after having been sent to pick up the take out and beer, all of the boys had arrived and Niall was as alive as he could be.

He's scared from his thoughts when the match ends and Louis starts complaining loudly and accusing Niall of cheating. Niall taunts him further and it gets to the point where Louis leaps over Zayn and Liam and onto Niall. The blond shrieks and leans back, somehow the both of them ending up on Harry's lap, Louis pinning his boyfriend down.

"Get off me you oaf! You weigh a ton!"

Louis' mouth drops open in shock and Harry has to stifle a laugh.

"I do not," he protests.

"Yeah, you do!"

Louis glares down at Niall, "Zayn doesn't complain about it when I–"

"Okay," Zayn cuts in, dragging Louis off of Niall by the collar of his shirt and slapping a hand over the brunts mouth, "Enough." His cheeks are bright red and this time Harry can't help but laugh.

Zayn glares at him but he's laughing too hard and then Niall joins him, laughing hysterically in his lap. Louis' shaking with laughter too, Zayn's hand still clamped over his mouth, and even Liam joins in.

"I hate you all," Zayn mutters, downing the rest of his drink.

***

It's nearing midnight when Niall calls him out for being distracted. Louis declared a midnight snack and dragged Liam and Zayn off towards the kitchen, shouting something about a cheese toasty.

"You okay?" his boyfriend nudges him softly, a look of concern on his face.

Harry nods absentmindedly, "Yeah."

Niall furrows his brows and brings a hand up to Harry's face, caressing it gently and turning his head so they're looking at each other.

"No you're not," he examines Harry, thumbing over the crease between Harry's eyes lightly, making the younger boy relax instantly, "What's on your mind?"

Harry licks his lips nervously and all of a sudden he's parched. He drinks the rest of his beer slowly, not breaking eye contact with Niall, the entire time he's staring into those worried big blue eyes.

Niall's trying not to get annoyed at Harry, who is taking forever to finish his drink. He sighs and scolds lightly, "Harry." He's about two seconds away from ripping the bottle from Harry's lips.

Harry pulls the bottle away from his mouth, it pops from the suction, "Fine."

He needs something to do because he's so damn nervous, so he picks at the label on the bottle of beer he holds in his hands like it's the most interesting thing he's ever done.

"Harry, you're worrying me," Niall almost whines, and Harry knows he has to tell him.

"Okay," he shakes his head to gather his thoughts, placing the bottle on the coffee table in front of them with all of the other discarded bottles. He readjusts so that he's facing Niall properly and he takes the blonds smaller hands into his own. He gets goosebumps feeling how cold Niall's hands are, but his mind reminds him that if this works, if he can bring him back to life, he won't be so cold.

"I uh," he tries to meet Niall's eyes, but he can't seem to, only squeezing his hands tighter in his own.

Niall holds his breath, waiting for Harry to confess. He's freaking out on the inside and he knew if he were still human he'd probably be having a panic attack right now.

Harry shuts his eyes tightly and blurts it out just as Louis walks into the room and calls back to the others.

"Oi! Look at the two lovebirds!"

"I think I found a way to bring you back."

"What?"

He was expecting Niall to be the one responding, but it's Louis who's standing in the doorway still, hand halfway to his mouth with a bowl of popcorn in his hands.

Harry finally looks up at Niall to gauge his reaction. His cerulean eyes are as wide as saucers and filled with tears. He's biting his lips so hard, trying to feel something, his mind racing, trying to search for the truth in the mossy eyes that stare back at him.

"Ni," he scrambles to pull the blond to him tightly and as soon as he's enveloped he starts to sob.

He hears Liam and Zayn enter the room quickly at the sound of Niall's first sob, but Louis stops them and quiets them. They watch the scene unfold in front of them, Liam and Zayn confused as ever, but Zayn's ready for the slightest sign from Niall to sprint over.

"Really?" he cries out, clutching Harry's shirt in his hands so tightly he thinks it'll rip, "You can help me?"

Harry hushes him and nuzzles into Niall, rubbing his back comfortingly, "Shh, baby, yeah, I can help you."

Niall pulls back. His eyes are red-rimmed and he's still sniffling, but the warmth and promise in Harry's eyes is all he needs to know that this isn't some sort of sick joke.

He turns his head to Zayn and a grin breaks out on his face. He's still clutching Harry's shirt tightly in his hands.

"He can save me Z," Niall weeps, "Harry can save me."

Zayn doesn't waste any time running over to the blond who has finally pried away his fingers from Harry's soft shirt to reach up for a hug from his best friend.

"How?" Zayn asks. He's confused but excited, tears pricking his own as he cradles Niall in his arms tightly. Liam and Louis join them, patting Niall's back in congratulations.

Harry stands, reaching into his pocket for the vile. The liquid inside was sure to be warm now, but he thinks Niall can overlook it if it will mean getting his life back.

"This." He holds it up to show all of them.

"What is it?" Niall asks, climbing over the back of the couch, eyes not leaving the mesmerizing sparkly liquid in the tiny bottle. He takes it gently from Harry and his boyfriend lets him.

"I don't know what it is exactly," Harry explains, "But she said it will bring you back to life."

"She?" Louis questions, peering over Niall's shoulder to get a closer look.

"The psychic," Harry supplies as Niall looks to him for an answer as well. He shrugs, "Guess she could help out after all."

"How do we do it?" he's clutching the vile in his hands tightly like it could disappear at any moment.

"You just drink it."

"I drink it?" Niall eyes the bottle.

"Yeah," Harry breathes out. If this didn't work it was all his fault.

"That seems too easy," Louis says what they're all thinking.

"It's all we've got," Harry glares and places a hand on Niall's shoulder.

The blond nods, contemplating. His mind is still reeling. He could get his life back.

"Okay."

"Okay?" his boyfriend asks.

He shrugs in response, "Yeah, I've got nothing to lose. I've only got everything to gain." His eyes are sparkling with thanks and excitement and Harry can't help himself as he leans down and captures Niall's lips with his own.

"I'll get a chaser in case it tastes disgusting," Louis calls, racing to the kitchen. He grabs a beer for Niall and is about to turn on his heel back to the living room but he rethinks and snatches up four more.

"Do you think it will?" Niall squeeks out.

Harry makes a face, unsure, "No clue."

"Right," Niall lets out a breath, nodding his thanks to Louis who hands him a freshly opened beer.

The five end up sitting in a circle in Niall's favorite spot, under the big window of the living room. It's a full moon and for once the London skies are quite clear, the bright starts sparkling up in the sky.

Niall chugs the potion down and the four boys who are watching closely wince as his face contorts to one of disgust. He knows he can't stop, so he finishes up the drink. It feels like it's taking him forever and it's burning his throat and he wants to throw up so badly, but he knows that he can't.

He slams the empty bottle down on the floor in front of him and tries to swallow the feeling of vomit crawling up his throat away, head hung. Someone pushes his beer back into his hand and he's quickly downing that, the faint taste of his favorite beer washing down the taste of the purple liquid.

"Well?" Louis breaks the silence when Niall's pulled the bottle from his lips.

"Tastes like fucking death."

"Ironic."

The group laughs together and when it dies down Niall looks to Harry, "Think it will work?" His question is sad but full of hope, and it's like he almost doesn't believe it's going to work.

Not wanting to lie to the blond – because this is a worry he's had too – he says instead, "There's only one way to find out." It's not as comforting as he'd like, and he winces at how badly it sounds coming out of his mouth.

Niall just places an understanding hand on his knee instead, giving him a tiny smile, "Thank you Harry."

All he can do is nod in return.

***

They all sit around silently, waiting for the sun to creep up over the horizon. Their chatter had died down as the clock ticked closer to sunrise.

They'd joked and rambled the night away aimlessly, all trying to get each other's minds off of the inevitable. It hadn't really worked all that well.

All of the boys had gotten more and more antsy as the sky lightened and the time for sunrise crept nearer. The four alive ones were all dead tired but too wired to sleep. They couldn't miss out on this.

"Almost time," Liam announced, checking the time on his phone, "One minute."

Niall was nervously biting his nails, the worst thoughts running through his mind.

"You ready?" Harry asks him softly, gently moving Niall's hand from his face. He caresses the blonds face, pushing his hair back and thumbing over the scar the bullet had left in his head. He wonders if it'll always be there after Niall's back. A constant reminder for the blond.

Niall shakes his head and places a kiss to the palm of Harry's hand, "Not really."

"It's time."

The five of them look out the window. The bright sun is just peeking up over the horizon now. Harry's hand falls to the floor and his heart falls into the pit of his stomach.

He turns and Niall's no longer sitting in his spot between Harry and Zayn.

He'd disappeared.

It didn't work.


	33. Scary Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis is the first to move. He walks forward and pulls Harry into his arms. They both have tears in their eyes for the same reason, knowing that there's nothing they can do to save Niall now. Harry chokes on a sob and clutches Louis' shirt in his big hands.

"Excited to have your boy back?" Margery asks, as soon as he steps into her house. She finally looks up from the newspaper she was reading, and takes in the other boys who are trailing in behind him, "Which one is he?"

"He's not here," Harry responds sharply, annoyed and running off of absolutely no sleep, "It didn't work."

Her brows furrow and she frowns at him, "It didn't work?"

"No," he sighs in frustration, "It didn't."

"It always works."

"Well it didn't this time, Margery." He wants to throw a tantrum right here in the middle of the room. He wants to scream, cry, bang his fists into the ground with all his might, but most of all he just wants to sleep.

Okay that's a lie, most of all he wants Niall back.

She tuts at Louis who, unsurprisingly, has started touching things that he wasn't supposed to. She smacks his hand lightly away from where he's about to pick up a crystal ball on top of the fireplace mantle. He yelps and clutches his hand to his chest dramatically. He looks to Zayn like he's supposed to speak up but Zayn just shrugs tiredly and mutters, "Stop touching things."

He pouts and crosses his arms over his chest, "Fine."

"Anyways," Harry hisses at Louis who shrinks under his harsh glare and turns to the older woman, "He's still gone."

She rubs her hand under her chin thoughtfully, "You sure you did it correctly?"

He's about two seconds away from breaking and yelling at her. "Is there a wrong way to do it?"

"So you're telling me you poured it into the mouth of his dead body and he didn't wake up?"

His shoulders slump and his eyes widen. His face flames with heat. Of course they didn't think of that. They'd completely forgotten that their circumstance isn't a normal one and that anyone else would've poured it into their loved ones corpse.

He turns on his heel, sharing a desperate look with all of his friends. Liam and Zayn wear weary grimaces on their faces, knowing exactly what they're going to have to do now. Louis looks excited (of course).

He's not sure how to respond to Margery. He can't think of a good excuse to tell her other than the truth, which will probably make him sound like a lunatic. He'd know, because that's exactly how it felt when they all discovered Niall's ability.

"Right," He says instead and mentally punches himself.

"I dropped it and so we only were able to give him half?" Louis tries to take the blame, missing the surprised look on Harry's face since he's standing behind him. "And it didn't work."

Margery openly glares at the tiny brunet, "You shouldn't be playing around with things like this, Louis Tomlinson."

"Hey," Louis defends, "I–wait, how do you know my name?"

She ignores him and returns her harsh gaze to Harry, "And now you've come here to ask me for more."

"If you have any," he mumbles shyly, toeing his shoe into the carpet and avoiding her gaze.

"I don't."

His stomach drops and his gaze snaps up to meet hers, "You don't?"

"Not for you, anyways," she responds and pushes past him towards her desk at the front, "You've had yours."

"Please," he begs, trailing behind her like a lost puppy, "Please."

She stops and studies him for a moment. She takes in his tired, pleading, mossy eyes and how his hands are clasped together tightly. The poor boy really does look like he's been through the ringer, but she doesn't do charity work.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Harry whimpers, a confused look on his face and tears brimming his eyes.

"I've helped you twice now, why should I help you a third time?"

Harry wants to scoff at the way she's asking him. It's not like he hasn't tried helping his boyfriend, he's tried everything he can think of. He didn't want her help, but he needed it.

"Because," his voice breaks and he swallows hard, trying to hold back on the tears that fill his eyes. His throat burns with the familiar need to cry and he's exhausted, so he doesn't hold back.

Maybe if he cries she'll have mercy on him.

"I love him," he whispers so quietly that no one can hear him. His confession shocks him a little. He hadn't admitted that to anyone, even himself, but he does love Niall. He loved his half blond half brown locks. He loves his big blue eyes, even though he knows they're not supposed to be that dull, they're still a breathtaking color. He loves his smile, his personality, his laugh. He loves that he loves the nighttime sky and that he's so insightful. He doesn't think that there isn't anything he doesn't love about Niall.

"I love him." He says it louder now, with more conviction behind his words.

She places a gentle hand on his cheek, a ghost of a smile on her lips, "I know."

And of course she knows. She seems to know everything about him and he feels bad for ever having doubting her.

But then she walks off and they wait. They wait so long that he doesn't think that she's going to come back. He looks at the boys helplessly and they're all staring at him, unsure of what to say.

Louis is the first to move. He walks forward and pulls Harry into his arms. They both have tears in their eyes for the same reason, knowing that there's nothing they can do to save Niall now. Harry chokes on a sob and clutches Louis' shirt in his big hands.

"Fuck Lou. What do I do?" He cries desperately into the older boy's shirt.

Louis is heartbroken for his best friend. He doesn't think he's ever seen Harry this sad, not even when his parents split up. This doesn't even compare to when he found Louis with his ex.

"I don't know Hazza," he confesses and it hurts. It hurts to say those words because there's no protecting the two youngest of their little ragtag group. There's nothing any of them can do.

Liam is next to join in on the hug and Zayn's not far behind.

Margery walks into the sight of all of the young men crying and hugging. She rolls her eyes fondly.

"Here," she holds up another vial of the purple liquid and Harry almost collapses with relief.

He untangles himself from the boys, wipes the current tears on his face (because now that he's started crying he can't seem to stop), and shuffles towards her. He takes the vial from her so carefully, as if it's made of dust and will crumble at the slightest of touches. It doesn't, and when he realizes, he grips it tightly in his hand.

"Thank you," he cries and throws his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Margery is a little surprised at first but she quickly returns his hug.

"Don't fuck this one up," she tells him sternly, "I mean it. I don't know what you really did with the other one, but you're not getting another if you screw it up again. Don't even come back here."

Harry's nodding frantically at his words. He can't even describe the way he's feeling right now. He's so grateful that he could kiss her right now, but he holds himself back, instead giving her one last thanks before he's nearly sprinting out the door and back to his car with his friends following closely behind.

"Oh my god," he's wearing a shit eating grin and he doesn't even think twice when he pulls his car out onto the street, narrowly missing another car who honks and flips him off, "Can you fucking believe it?"

"Oi mate, if we're gonna save Niall, we gotta get there in one piece," Liam calls from the backseat.

"We're gonna save Niall," he says like he can't believe it, "We're gonna save Niall!"

The others join in on his joy. They're all deliriously happy and if it's because they still haven't slept, they don't even notice.

"Where are you going?" Louis asks when Harry misses the turn to go back to the apartment.

"To the cemetery obviously," Harry responds like Louis' dumb, "Where were you when she was explaining it mate?"

"Haz, we can't do this right now."

"Why not?" he grips the steering wheel tighter in his hands.

"Someone could see," Zayn adds, trying to keep his voice light, "We should wait until tonight."

"I can't wait," Harry shakes his head, "I'll go without you then," he decides.

"And you'll probably go to jail," it's Liam who speaks next and the youngest boy doesn't like how he's being ganged up on. He's not thinking rationally right now, he knows he's not, but how can he when all that's running through his mind is the fact that they can actually, finally, bring Niall back to life.

"We need to get some supplies too, like shovels and shit."

He chews on his lip, mulling over their words for a few minutes before he turns the car around and heads back to the apartment.

"Sorry," he mumbles, "Just got a bit excited."

"Us too," Zayn places a comforting hand on his shoulder, "But we'll get him back. Tonight, when we have everything we need and a plan."

"A plan?"

"Yeah, you don't think it'll be so easy to walk into a cemetery and dig up a grave, do you?" he questions, "There will be a night guard, and we have to be prepared for what happens after we dig him up and bring him back to life. Like, what are we going to do with the coffin and grave when we bring him back?"

"Easy," Louis scoffs, "We put his little ass to work."

He shrinks under Harry's glare, "Just kidding."


	34. On My Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But I shouldn't have been so stupid! I should've thought it through more before giving it to you. I should've asked Margery for the fucking instructions but no, I got too excited at the thought of actually having you that I ran out of there," Harry sniffles, eyes downcast to the bedsheets. He feels much too guilty to be looking at Niall right now.
> 
> "Oh Harry," Niall tuts. He lifts the boy's chin with a soft hand and waits until his mossy eyes are looking back into his own, "You already have me, alive or not."

"Niall?" he calls when he enters the apartment, the other boys on his heels. He kicks off his boots and waits for the familiar gust of cool air to wash over him.

Like clockwork, he feels the air shift, dropping a few degrees. It's funny, he thinks, how the change in temperature is comforting now, when it gave him and the boys such an uneasy feeling when they'd first moved in.

He relaxes and shuts his eyes, breathing in the cool air deeply like it's the breath of life, "We did it wrong, but now we know the right way. We've got one more chance."

He doesn't have to see Niall to know how he feels, the shifting air ruffling his hair is enough for him to know.

"Well, I don't know about you lot, but I'm going to knock off for a few hours so I'm ready to help out little Nialler tonight," Louis announces, slipping out of his own shoes and sashaying to the couch which he falls face first onto.

"Me too," Zayn mumbles tiredly and he looks like he can barely keep his eyes open. He falls on top of Louis who squeals. They tussle for a few seconds, shoving and tangling eachother up in their arms. They're kind of perfect, really.

"I'll make a list of what we'll need," Liam shrugs at Harry's confused face. He's used to sleeping odd hours every so often due to juggling his studies, work, and his girlfriend. I better make a plan as well, he decides on his way towards his room, knowing that none of the other boys are too eager to think about this situation properly.

"I guess that leaves us then," he whispers to Niall, the chilly air signalling that he's still near. He knows he needs to rest, having not done so for nearly two days now, but he's too wired up to sleep.

He gives Zayn and Louis their privacy, moving into his room and quietly shutting the door behind himself. He places the vial gently on his dresser and flops onto his bed. He props his arms up behind his head and stares at the shimmering purple liquid sitting across the room.

It's both mesmerizing and taunting, looking at the liquid. The way it catches the light and shines brightly had him wondering what exactly could be in there, and how Margery got it in the first place.

He doesn't realize that his eyes are drooping shut and his head begins to loll to the side, the hypnotizing liquid calming him much more than he thought. He didn't think he'd be sleeping again until he had Niall back in his arms – for good this time – but the fatigue and the highs and lows of his emotions are finally catching up to him, and he drifts off to sleep.

***

He awakens slowly to the feeling of a calming presence near him, running their fingers gently through his hair. Due to the lack of body heat, it can only be one person.

He smiles lazily, keeping his eyes shut, and rolls into the body and burying his face into his neck. Niall lets out a squeal of surprise at Harry's sudden movement, but then he's clutching the boy tighter into his chest.

"Niall, babe, I'm so sorry it didn't work." Harry's voice is trembling and Niall can feel the boy's hot tears sliding down the column of his neck.

He quiets Harry and gently pushes him out of his hiding place with his hand on the back of Harry's head, "Don't Harry, you tried damn hard and that's all that matters to me."

"But I shouldn't have been so stupid! I should've thought it through more before giving it to you. I should've asked Margery for the fucking instructions but no, I got too excited at the thought of actually having you that I ran out of there," Harry sniffles, eyes downcast to the bedsheets. He feels much too guilty to be looking at Niall right now.

"Oh Harry," Niall tuts. He lifts the boy's chin with a soft hand and waits until his mossy eyes are looking back into his own, "You already have me, alive or not."

"You deserve so much more than this Niall," he whispers, his tears have stopped but his throat is still tight, "I want to give you the world because you deserve nothing less."

And Niall doesn't know how to respond to the heartfelt words that have spilled out of Harry's mouth and the lovesick look in his eyes, so he leans forward and kisses him lightly on the mouth. He waits for Harry to respond, and he does, his large hand crawls up to the back of the blonds neck to keep their lips pressed together. It's not hot and heavy, it's everything each other needs to know that they feel the exact same way about each other and would do anything and everything for the other.

Loud banging at Harry's door makes them jump apart. Harry winces and looks towards where the noise is coming from.

"Hey," Louis whines from the other side, "Let me in!"

"Did you lock the door?" Harry asks quietly, turning his head back to Niall whose face is tinting pink. He nods sheepishly.

Harry dramatically tackles Niall, laying on top of him and pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek, causing the boy under him to giggle, "You're a godsend, Niall Horan. I could marry you right now!"

"I wanna see Nialler," Louis calls, "Wanna tell him I'm going to single handedly bring him back to life!"

The tall boy rolls his eyes and lets Niall up who's squirming under him. The blonde races to the door, opening it wide and throwing himself into Louis' arms who just barely manages to catch him before they both go tumbling backwards.

"I knew you'd be the one to save me Lou!" Niall presses the back of his hand to his head, tossing his head back comically.

"That's right," Louis smiles proudly, "All me."

"Thank God I don't have to help shovel now," Harry bites his lip, holding back his smile. He props his head up on his arms and watches as Louis' face drops.

"Yeah, if you're going to be doing all of the work, I can just go back to sleep," Zayn adds, pushing past the two in the doorway and falling face first onto Harry's bed.

"And I can't help, so I wish you the best of luck," Niall replies, dancing out of his arms and bouncing over to the bed to climb in between Zayn and Harry. "Just don't take too long now Lou, I've been meaning to go and catch a movie at the theater for ages now." He snickers at the boy in the doorway whose jaw has dropped.

"You'll help me, won't you Liam?" he asks in a small voice, noticing that the other boy has edged in behind him to watch the teasing.

Liam takes one of Louis' arms in his grasp and forms it into a curl, his little bicep bulging slightly as the bigger boy examines it, "Nah, looks like you got it mate, with all this muscle and all," he smirks and makes his way into Harry's room to perch on the unoccupied corner of the bed.

The only boy left standing pouts and crosses his arms over his chest. "Fuck you guys," he mumbles and finally the group bursts into laughter. Niall opens his arms so Louis can join their cuddle puddle and after a few seconds of sulking he relents and takes a running leap into the other boys arms, kneeing the blond in the balls.

"Well, thankfully I can't feel it," Niall makes a face.

"Damn, you really can't feel it?" Louis asks. His own hurt at the thought of how hard he'd just hit Niall.

"Nope," and Niall knows he shouldn't have said that when he sees the maniac glint in Louis' eyes.

"What about when Harry–" Niall clamps a hand over his mouth before he can finish his sentence. The oldest boy fights him and they tousle on the bed, kicking and slapping at each other. Accidental jabs and elbows hit the other boys, and soon Harry and Zayn are bear hugging their partner's and tearing them apart off one another.

"We should test this theory out," Louis yells, struggling a bit in Zayn's arms. "He doesn't have to become a human tonight, we can always try again tomorrow."

"No, we've waited long enough, Lou," Harry scolds and Niall sticks his tongue out playfully.

Louis narrows his eyes, "Alright then, you can do all of the digging and I'll supervise."

***

"Well, this is it."

The four of them stand in front of where Niall's body is buried six feet under. Louis shines the flashlight over the still pristine headstone, reading the words carved into the stone.

They haven't even done anything yet, but the silence and darkness of the cemetery is enough to have all of them on edge. No one had said a word as they parked two blocks away and snuck into the graveyard.

Back at the apartment, this had seemed like an easy task, but now, standing in front of Niall's grave, the reality of what exactly they are about to do sinks in.

"So," Louis trails off, "Where do we start?"

Harry shrugs, "I guess we just...dig?"

"Right."

No one makes a move, though.

A yell somewhere in the distance makes them all jump, "Hey!"

Harry ducks a little and tries to see where the sound came from. It looks to be a security guard, frantically waving his flashlight around, trying to figure out if what he saw was real. The man shouts again and they shrink further into themselves, looking at each other with wide eyes.

"Should I knock him out with my shovel?" Louis whispers, shaking the tool in his hands for good measure.

"Lou no, what the fuck?" Liam responds quietly, "Just shut the fuck up. Maybe he won't notice."

The five of them crouch down behind various tombstones. They hold their breath as the footsteps move closer, the gravel crunching louder the nearer the man comes. Flickers of light pass over other headstones and Harry presses his lanky legs in tighter to his body and holds his breath.

They sit for what feels like hours, making absolutely sure that the coast is clear before his racing heart settles a bit. They all seem to let out a breath of relief as they climb to their feet, the man nowhere in sight.

"Well that was fun," Louis mutters, stretching his legs.

"This is why I said we needed a lookout," Liam argues quietly, glancing around anxiously, as if the man would appear out of thin air and catch them.

"I volunteer," Louis eagerly says, shoving his shovel into Liam's arms. He sprints off into the darkness before anyone has the chance to say anything else.

"You okay?" Harry asks Zayn quietly. He's noticed the uneasy look on the onyx haired boy's face, staring wearily down at the still brand new looking headstone.

"Yeah," he shakes his head, ridding himself of the negative thoughts that were swimming in his mind. He shrugs his tense shoulders and clenches his own shovel tighter, "It's going to be a little weird, you know? Seeing him in there again after all of this?"

"It's very weird," Harry agrees, placing a hand on the other boy's shoulder, trying to comfort him, "But we're doing this so that he doesn't have to be in there anymore. It's a good thing, what we're doing."

"Is it?" Zayn asks. He looks up at Harry with a face that has Harry worrying that he's going to bail. "He won't have a normal life after this. He still won't be able to see his family ever again. And if this works, and someone recognizes him," he shakes his head, "Then what?"

"He'll just have to deny," Harry doesn't let Zayn's words settle in his head, afraid that he might be right, "Don't you want him back? He's miserable."

"I know he is," the older boy pulls at his hair, "I don't know, let's just do it."

"Are you sure?" Liam joins the conversation, "We don't have to do it tonight. We've all barely slept, we've already almost gotten caught, and I'm sure Niall will understand. We can all get some rest and talk it over with him."

Harry's about to protest, but the look Liam gives him makes him shut his mouth. Zayn knows Niall better than anyone, and he should take his feelings into consideration, no matter how much he doesn't want to. He selfishly wants to bring Niall back for his own (obvious) reasons, but he doesn't think there's anything wrong with that.

Zayn makes eye contact with Harry and they stare at each other for a long time, silently having a conversation with only the looks they are giving one another.

In the end, it's Zayn that makes the first move, plunging his shovel into the dirt of Niall's grave.


	35. Holding on to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's shovel hits the wood of Niall's casket and a dull thud sounds, making them all stop shoveling. He falls to his hands and knees, brushing more dirt away to see the sleek, smooth, dark wood, "We got him."

"Are you even helping?"

"What the fuck? Of course I'm helping! Shit's hard!"

"We're not even halfway."

"Maybe we'd be further if you stopped complaining and started working," Liam points out, throwing another shovel full of dirt behind him into the small pile that they've already made.

"Where's Lou?" Harry huffs, annoyed that the boy hasn't been seen since he disappeared into the darkness. At least he's doing his job of keeping the guard away from them, for now.

"He really meant it when he said he wasn't going to help," Zayn pants sourly, wiping the sweat from his brow and shaking his head, "I need a break." He wants so badly to pull out a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and light it up, even though that's the reason he is so out of breath and needs a break.

"We can't take a break. We don't have the time. That guy could be back any second."

"Hey boys!" The three boys jump at Louis' loud voice.

"Holy fuck Lou, keep it down," Liam whispers harshly at the same time Harry asks where he's been.

Louis crosses his arms over his chest, "I was taking care of that guy so he wouldn't bother us anymore. Honestly, you should be thanking me or he would've already called the cops."

Liam pauses his shovelling and narrows his eyes, "What did you do to the poor man, Louis?"

The smaller boy shrugs, "Nothing you wouldn't have done," is the only explanation he gives.

"Seriously, what was it?"

"What's wrong with a little blowjob?"

Zayn chokes on his spit and splutters out a cough. "What?" he croaks.

"I'm just kidding babe, I thought it'd be funny. I would never," he shoots him an apologetic look, "Well, not to him at least." He winks.

"Just for that, you can shovel," the onyx haired boy responds, climbing out of the hole and pressing his tool into the other boy's hands. Louis' only complaint is a groan, but he jumps down into the hole with grace and begins shoveling alongside Harry and Liam.

"I was really hoping you'd be done by the time I got back," he mutters, using his foot to stomp the shovel into the dirt further, "Seriously? Three full grown men can't dig up a single grave?"

"The grounds a little hard," Harry puffs out a breath, scooping up more dirt.

"Put your back into it," Louis teases, "Do you even want Niall out of here?"

He knows he shouldn't have said that, but he thought that if he got Harry fired up that he'd work faster. Instead, he receives a nasty glare from the taller boy and he ducks his head, muttering an apology and digging a little faster.

"Just fucking dig and shut up."

Zayn, having caught his breath, reaches for the pack of cigarettes in his jacket pocket. He pulls one out and lights it up, inhaling deeply and sighing out with relief.

"Seriously Zayn?"

"What?" he shrugs, "I'm stressed."

It's not a lie. His hands have been shaking with anxiety since they've started digging up Niall's grave. There are so many things that could go wrong right now. They could get caught digging up a dead person's grave, he knows that would not be very good at all. They could give Niall the potion and he's not even one hundred percent sure that it will even work.

He hasn't seen Niall's body since the funeral, naturally. His ghost body doesn't count. He's worried about what they'll see when they open it back up. He doesn't really think he can handle seeing his best friend's dead body again. It'll just be too much.

"You could at least share," Louis huffs, holding his hand up and reaching for the cigarette. Zayn passes it to him silently, lost in his own thoughts and worry. He scrubs his hands harshly against his eyes, not caring if they've got dirt on them. He's so damn tired.

Harry's shovel hits the wood of Niall's casket and a dull thud sounds, making them all stop shoveling. He falls to his hands and knees, brushing more dirt away to see the sleek, smooth, dark wood, "We got him."

He's on his second wind now, springing to his feet and grabbing his tool before furiously digging out the parts that are still slightly covered. Zayn helps Louis out of the hole, then Liam.

Harry tosses his shovel up to Liam. He pushes away most of the dirt. He perches himself on the bottom half of the casket where he'll stay so he can open the top half.

He looks up at the boys, needing a bit of comfort before he does this. Liam gives him a reassuring look but when he looks towards Louis, he's not looking back at him, his head is turned back towards the path that Niall's grave is on. He doesn't see Zayn.

He climbs to his feet, head barely peeking out of hole at his full height to see the boy with his head in his hands, sitting on the grass a few feet away. "Zayn?"

The boy responds, lifting his head and turning it slightly to show that he's listening, but he won't look Harry in the eyes.

"You okay?" the curly haired boy asks gently, although he is a little afraid of what Zayn's going to say.

"I'm okay," his voice is broken and small, a few tears falling over his dirty cheeks, "I just don't think I can see him like that again, if that's alright."

"Niall will understand," Harry answers. He chews his lip for a moment before speaking again, "Are you going okay with this though?"

This time the other boy makes eye contact. He nods firmly, "Yeah. Bring our boy back, Harry."

"Okay," Harry nods, "Yeah, I will."

He turns back to the grave and kneels down once more. He takes a deep breath, nodding to himself.

His hands are trembling now and he knows he needs to calm down, stop the shaking, or he'll most likely drop the vile of liquid that's going to bring Niall back to them. He lifts the top half of the casket.

His breath leaves his body when he sees the blond. Niall looks so small in the casket. He's as pale as he's seen him, but he looks the same as the Niall Harry's grown to love. His fringe is down, covering what Harry assumes is the mark on his forehead.

He can't help himself, tracing Niall's lifeless features. He thumbs over his forehead, pushing the soft hairs away, and sure enough, there's the mark the bullet had left in the middle of his forehead.

He's never seen Niall sleeping before, but he's seen him with his eyes closed and he looks exactly like this. He's not dead, just sleeping, he tries to convince himself.

It's almost as if he's going to break the boy, with how careful he lifts his head off of the soft cushion to open his airway. His lips part too easily and Harry shudders when Niall's body's jaw falls open at his slight touch.

He thumbs off the lid with his finger and releases the breath he'd been holding.

Please let this work, he prays and pours the liquid into Niall's mouth.

He helps the liquid go down, gently maneuvering Niall's head so the glittering substance gets to where it's supposed to go.

Liam and Louis are watching from the top of the grave. Neither of them can tear their eyes off of the scene before them. Louis thinks he should probably check on Zayn who's still sitting silently a few feet away from what's happening, but he's too intrigued – too worried about his best mate, sitting there, helplessly waiting for something to happen.

It's agony, waiting for something to happen. Seconds feel like long hours, and still Niall doesn't move.

"Ni?" Harry asks, voice small, "Babe?"

He places his quivering fingers to the boy's pale neck, but there's nothing, not even the faintest pulse.

He starts freaking out a bit, shaking the boy in the casket lightly, then harder when nothing happens. A sob rips from his throat and tears are streaming down his face, not ready to stop anytime soon.

"Niall," he cries so hard that it's hard for him to breathe, and he thinks that suffocating might not be the worst thing right now. If his boy isn't going to come back to him, he'll just join Niall.

"Come on," he's hysterical, shoving at the smaller boy, "Come on baby, you gotta get up. Get up for me. Please!" He doesn't care that his voice is getting louder, the only thing he cares about right now is Niall.

Watching their friend like this is heartbreaking. Liam's looking away from where Harry is desperately trying to wake the blond up, looking up at the night sky and trying not to let his own tears fall.

Louis has a hand clamped over his mouth, holding his own cries back. His face is wet with tears and it's tearing him in two, watching Harry in so much pain. He stumbles away from the grave and collapses into Zayn's side who immediately latches onto him, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Come on Niall," he pats his cheek softly, his hot tears dripping down onto Niall's face, "Open your eyes." When he doesn't Harry collapses, his lower half still splayed out on the closed lower section of the casket, his upper body pressed tightly against Niall. He buries his face into the boy's neck. "She said it would work! Goddamnit, wake up!"

He stays like that. For how long, he's not sure. He's uncomfortable, but he doesn't care. Harry weeps into the crook of Niall's neck, whimpering and pleading for him to come back to him.

"Harry," Liam's voice is broken too. He doesn't want to be the one to do this. He doesn't want to be the one to tell Harry that it didn't work and they have to go, because the sun will be up soon and they have to get out of here.

Harry shakes his head no, "Shut the fuck up Liam," he spits, knowing what he's going to say. He clutches Niall tighter in his arms, "Niall, baby, now would be a good time for you to wake up. Prove Liam wrong." His voice is raw, and it barely comes out as a whisper, but his tears are still going strong.

He's playing with the hair on Niall's forehead, twisting it softly in his fingers and pushing it away every so often, placing gentle kisses to the scar. He doesn't plan on moving any time soon. Liam will have to climb down here and force him away from Niall's body.

"Ni, I-uh, I wanted to say this to you, like, when you were alive," he chokes out before his throat tightens a considerable amount with more tears. He does his best to push away the feeling, clearing his throat a little before he continues, "But I love you. I love you so much Niall. Please don't let this be it."

He doesn't know why he expects a response, but he does, and it doesn't come. Niall's body is still as pale and lifeless as it was when he first opened the casket. It's after, that he loses his sense of hope and lets his head fall back against Niall's shoulder. He squeezes his eyes shut tight, just missing the first rays of sunlight appearing over the horizon.

He jumps away slightly with surprise when a harsh ragged breath is taken and Niall's body is wracking with what Harry can only describe as the worst cough he's ever heard in his entire life. It's wet and hearty and he's afraid Niall will choke on whatever's building up in his airway.

Harry scrambles to check his pulse even though he can see that Niall's clearly awake now. He gasps when he feels a very weak pulse thrumming against his fingertips.

The world stops when Niall's eyelids flutter open. His breath is lost when he sees just how fiercely blue his eyes are, having been used to the dull color he's only seen.

"Oh my god," Harry breathes out, "Niall."

He's crying again, happy tears this time, and he's back in Niall's arms, holding him so close. He's never going to let go again.

If he hadn't moved closer to his boyfriend he would've missed Niall saying in the smallest voice, "I love you too, Harry."


	36. Epilogue: Wherever You Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hears Harry stumbling closer to him and then the warmth of his body is pressing into him fully and he's burying his head into Niall's neck. Niall wraps him up into his arms automatically, cuddling him close. His body relaxes but he can't seem to get his mind off of the fact that he's still feeling trapped.

"Hey, what are you doing up out here?" Harry's groggy voice startles Niall from where he'd been letting his mind wander. He hadn't been able to sleep, and so he wandered to his favorite part of the flat, beneath the living room windows so he could look up into the starry sky.

Niall shrugs, glancing over at his boyfriend who's rubbing his tired eyes. He's only wearing a pair of tight briefs and he looks away with a blush, thinking back to the events they'd gotten into earlier in the night.

He hears Harry stumbling closer to him and then the warmth of his body is pressing into him fully and he's burying his head into Niall's neck. Niall wraps him up into his arms automatically, cuddling him close. His body relaxes but he can't seem to get his mind off of the fact that he's still feeling trapped.

He scratches lightly at Harry's scalp, and a part of him is hoping that the boy in his arms will fall right back to sleep. Even though it'll be a struggle to get Harry back into bed, he doesn't want to talk about what he's thinking about.

Just when he thinks he's successful lulling his lover to sleep, he surprises him by speaking, "You never answered my question." Harry pulls away slightly, looking up at Niall with his big mossy eyes and he whispers, "You're worrying me Ni."

"How?"

"You've been quiet since we got you back, babe. You haven't been as happy, you haven't been eating much or even sleeping much, and I'm almost positive that those are two things that you need to be doing again. You can talk to me."

Niall sighs, "I know I can but–" he bites his lip, and shakes his head, scared to continue.

"Niall," Harry sits up fully, more awake because he knows that tone of Niall's voice. He's about five seconds away from crying, "C'mere." He gathers the smaller boy in his arms. He lifts both himself and Niall off of the floor and brings them back into his room, cradling his boyfriend in his arms. He settles the two of them in the middle of his bed, still warm from where Harry had just been laying.

"You can always talk to me babe," he caresses Niall's face gently, "You don't have to talk right now but I want you to know that you can. Whenever you want. I'll drop anything for you Niall, I love you so much."

"I love you too Harry," Niall responds, clutching onto him tighter. He's lucky to have someone like Harry in his life. They've both changed tremendously since they'd first met, and now he gets to see how sweet and loving Harry really is everyday. He's easily the most understanding person he's met, aside from Zayn, and Niall knows that he just has to come right out and say it.

"I think I want to move," he blurts.

"Yeah?" Harry turns his head to observe his boyfriend. Niall's eyes are shut like he's afraid to see Harry's reaction, but Harry had been starting to think the same thing.

He'd figured it out when Niall refused to go out shopping with him for new clothes, or to eat, or even out with all of the lads. At first, he'd thought that Niall was just adjusting back to being a human, the process of being brought back having exhausted him where the blond had slept for almost 48 hours straight, but after a few days of observing him and offering to take him out, he could see just how scared the blue eyed boy was of the outside world.

He hums when he realizes that Harry wasn't reacting negatively to his words, "Yeah. This place will always be a part of me – of what happened to me, but I think it's time to move past all that. Start somewhere new where I don't have to be worried about someone recognizing me."

Harry pouts playfully and runs his fingers through Niall's freshly dyed hair. His eyes catch the soft scar of his forehead, but it doesn't even phase him, he thumbs over the mark, "You didn't like my job of disguising you?"

The older boy rolls his eyes fondly, relaxing more and more with each soft swipe of Harry's thumb, "As much as I love my 'new' brown hair, I don't care much for wearing your clothes all of the time. They're too big."

Harry gasps, "You don't like wearing my clothes? What kind of boyfriend are you?"

"The fashionable kind," Niall laughs and picks at the floral button down he'd thrown on before moving into the living room, making a face.

"That's it," Harry narrows his eyes and launches himself at the smaller boy, straddling him and tickling his sides.

"Harry," Niall gasps, glaring up at the boy who has him pinned to the mattress, "Stop, you're going to wake up Liam!"

Harry rolls his eyes but relents, settling down next to Niall. He places his large hand over Niall's hip, rubbing soothing circles when he notices Niall's wearing a frown once more, "What is it?"

"I'm thinking of going somewhere farther, somewhere new," he starts, refusing to look at Harry. He busies himself with playing with the hem of the shirt instead, "Like where I'll have no possible way of someone figuring out who I am."

"Where?" Harry asks softly.

"America? I don't know, I haven't given it much thought, but it's far enough away to ease my mind I think."

"That is pretty far, but I think we can make it work," Harry surprises Niall by saying.

Niall whips his head up to look at the boy he loves so much and chokes out, "What?"

"Well you didn't think I was going to let you go all by yourself did you?" Harry responds with a grin.

"I'm coming with."

Niall begins to shake his head furiously, "No Harry, you can't. You have so much here. You can't leave your life behind."

"Hey," he says gently, pressing his hands to each side of Niall's face to stop his movements. He relaxes at the warmth of his palms, relishing in it, "I have no life if I don't have you here," he whispers, pecking Niall on the lips quickly before sitting up, "Besides, I can work at any old record shop, I'm sure America's full of them."

"But what about school?"

Harry shrugs, "I'm almost done with it anyways. I'll look into online classes or studying abroad in America or wherever it is you want to go Ni. I'll figure it out because there's nothing more important to me than you."

"Well school should be more important," Niall mumbles. Harry's body begins to shake with silent laughter, "What? It is!"

"You're just too cute babe, I'm sorry," he pulls Niall to his chest tightly and rolls onto his back, the smaller boy tapped against his chest, "I'll finish school, you don't have to worry about that."

"Okay," Niall breathes out, "We're doing this then?"

"Yeah," Harry pulls the smaller boy closer, his lips brushing Niall's as he speaks, "We're doing this."


End file.
